Not Another Malfoy Story
by Paige Summer Malfoy
Summary: This is the story of Paige Summer Malfoy. She has dealt with her cousin Draco for his whole life, and hopes to get a reprieve when she goes to Hogwarts. But the only thing awaiting her is a whole lot of problems.
1. My Name Is Malfoy, Deal With It

Chapter 1

My Name Is Malfoy…Deal With It

My name is Paige Summer. And I'm a Malfoy. (My full name is Paige Summer Malfoy, in case you couldn't figure that out.) Before you start making assumptions that I'm evil, let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Tom. He had an evil brother named Lucius. He went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and brought 'shame' to the family name by being sorted into Ravenclaw. He met a girl that didn't hate him, he married her, and Tom and Maria had a bouncing baby named Paige Summer.

That's the story of my family. My immediate family is despised by the entire wizarding world. We are despised by all Death Eaters and evil people because we are blood traitors and hated by the rest of the world for being Malfoys. The family that despises us the most (not including our own)? The Weasleys.

Arthur hates Lucius because he's an evil git, brags about money, and tries to stop Arthur from being promoted. Molly hates Narcissa for raising her child wrong (I agree with that) and hates Lucius for causing Arthur to be stressed. And the whole family hates me, Mom, and Dad for a) existing and b) being related to Lucius. Stupid prats! Can't they realize that we're different? Or are they that thick? (Don't answer that.)

When I was younger, I attended a wizarding day camp type thing. Fred, George, and Ron also attended…at least for a while. When Molly found out I was there, she pulled them out. I was heartbroken because Fred and George had become the closest thing to best friends that a five year old can have. I haven't talked to any of the Weasleys since.

The first day I was to go to Hogwarts, I managed to make it through the train ride without anybody figuring out who I was…or rather, what my last name was. I sat with two really nice girls (Alicia and Angelina) and we talked about everything. We even gave all the second-year+ boys a hotness rating. (A guy named Cedric came out on top, I think.)

When we got off the train, all we heard was a booming voice saying, "Firs' years, all firs' years over here."

"That's Hagrid…the groundskeeper," whispered Alicia as we got into a boat.

"Seems friendly enough," I grimaced as Hagrid gave me a tremendous pat on the back, nearly pushing me off the boat.

As we made our way across the lake, we all became speechless at the sight of Hogwarts in the dim light of the night. I trekked up to the majestic castle as if in a dream. However, my stomach churned with anticipation when I remembered that the Sorting was to happen soon.

"Hope I get Gryffindor," Angelina muttered to Alicia and me.

"So long as I don't get Slytherin, I'll be fine," said Alicia.

"Yeah…I'm kinda leaning towards Ravenclaw," I replied half-heartedly. Just then, the doors to the Great Hall opened. "Here it goes," I thought as I followed everybody through the doors.

"Hey Malfoy! Meet me in the broom closet tonight!" yelled some third- or fourth-year Slytherin. I got more calls like that aimed at me, but I ignored it. (So well that the other first years didn't seemed to know who they were yelling at.) I had the typical Malfoy look (which I hated) - long white blonde hair, grey eyes…so I wasn't unattractive, but I wasn't drop dead gorgeous either. Just then, the Sorting Hat began its song, bringing me out of contemplation.

I can't remember at all what the song was, because I was almost shaking in fear of the Sorting. I became paralyzed when I realized McGonagall had reached 'Jordan, Lee' and knew I might be next.

"Malfoy, Paige," called McGonagall. I made my way to the Sorting Hat and saw the mouths of my fellow first-years drop.

"Ah, let's see," mused the Sorting Hat. "Not Hufflepuff, that won't suit you. Or Ravenclaw…no, not quite you."

"Please not Gryffindor or Slytherin," I prayed.

"But my dear, those are the only options left. I see now…" And to the whole Great Hall it announced "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Crap," I thought as I walked towards the Gryffindor table. The Slytherins were all booing and hissing at me, and all the others were speechless. I took my seat and didn't say anything the entire feast.

As I was walking to my dormitory, I overheard (okay, eavesdropped) a bit of conversation between Fred, George, and Lee. "Probably'll curse a bunch of Muggleborns before the end of the year."

"I think you may be confused," I cut in, "if I wanted to curse Muggleborns, I would have done it already. Gits," I murmured as I walked away. After, I headed for my bed and immediately fell asleep.

The next morning, I walked into the Great Hall and it fell silent. "Pathetic," I muttered. "Don't people have anything more interesting to talk about?"

"As a matter of fact, we do. We just don't want you to hear," retorted Fred, rather randomly.

"Huh," I said, rolling my eyes. "Did Daddy tell you to be rude to me?"

"No," said George, under his breath. "We're just naturally rude to people who have money where a brain is supposed to be."

"Did your dear uncle tell you to be rude to us?" inquired Fred, falsely sweet.

"If I listened to my uncle, the Weasley family wouldn't exist," I threw back at him.

"Prat," the twins said together.

"Have a nice day, too," I replied, blowing a kiss as I found an empty spot at the table.

Not to long after, I got my class schedule. "Double Transfiguration, Charms, and Double Herbology today. Potions, Double Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, and Astronomy tomorrow. Excellent! Transfiguration and Charms with the Ravenclaws; Herbology and Astronomy with the Hufflepuffs. But…Potions, Defense, and History of Magic with the Slytherins. Oh well, no classes with them today," I said to myself.

During Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall made her amazing transformation from a tabby cat into herself. I long to do that…but I'm no good at Transfiguration. I was one of the only ones who didn't turn the hedgehog into a pincushion, so I got homework (an essay about Transfiguration of animals). Blech!

Charms went slightly better. I managed to perform "Wingardium Leviosa" accurately by the end of class. (Fred didn't, so ha! on him.)

In Herbology, we started potting Mandrakes, which usually isn't done until second year. We better not have to do it again next year! My poor ears just couldn't take it!

The next day was extremely close to a living hell. In Potions, Snape showed his strong dislike for all Gryffindors by docking 50 points by the end of class. I do have to admit, reluctantly, that the lesson was rather interesting. We made an antidote to a simple truth potion and sometime in the next three lessons Snape's going to test us by giving us the truth potion and then having us try our antidote. Potions would be my favorite class if it weren't for my extreme loathing of the teacher.

Defense Against the Dark Arts went well, I guess. We started on the Body Bind Curse. I got paired with Alicia, but she's still a bit mad at me for not telling her I was a Malfoy. Both Alicia and I managed to master the curse by the end of the period.

History of Magic isn't even worth mentioning.

Lastly, we had Astronomy, which went pretty well. We just had to complete a chart of stars, moons, and such, just to show what level we're on. I think I did pretty well, but I didn't get to finish. Oh, well. I trekked up to my dormitory and fell asleep.

**A/N: I know this chapter is slow, as all fan fictions start out. But stick with me! The chapters get increasingly better/funnier! If any of the characters seem OOC, keep in mind that this fanfic is written from a naïve teenage girl's POV. (If I but any American-isms in the dialogue, please tell me, so I can change that.)**


	2. Broken Noses

Chapter 2

Broken Noses

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or anything related to it. I don't even own my story…disclaimers are very depressing, you know.

The next couple of weeks passed without much going on. I didn't totally suck at Transfiguration, and excelled at Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Fred and George continued to pick on me (surprise, surprise!).

But one day, my built up anger just exploded. "Hey Malfoy! You seem pretty good at the Dark subjects! Gonna follow in dear uncle's footsteps?" yelled Fred as I walked out of Potions. Out of the blue, I dropped my books and ran at him punching him in the stomach. I knew I was going to lose: my small, slim frame against his muscular one? It was no match. As soon as Fred got over the shock he grabbed both my wrists in one of his hands and whispered menacingly to me, "Don't ever hit me." Then he punched my hard in the nose and let go of my wrists, making me fall.

I put a hand to my face and felt the blood gushing from my (now broken) nose. I leaned against the wall, chest heaving, for a few minutes. When I had regained my composure, I headed off to the hospital wing to be patched up by Madam Pompfrey. It would not be the last time I saw her.

The rest of first year went along without another physical confrontation with Fred, though there were many screaming matches. Angelina and Alicia would talk to me occasionally, but other than that, I didn't really have close friends. So I threw myself into Transfiguration. I wanted to become so much better at it, and I wanted to be an Animagus. The only time I didn't spend in class or studying, I spent watching Quidditch matches. I was good at Quidditch, but I'm more of a coach. So, all too soon, it was time to leave Hogwarts for the summer holidays. Maybe second year would be better…

The holidays passed the same as always. The first couple of weeks were a haven of riding brooms and sleeping. But then, Mom, Dad, and I were expected to spend the rest of the holidays at Malfoy Manor. Draco had just turned ten, which meant he was interested in girls all the sudden. (The cooties just poofed away.)

Lucius was always on the warpath because I had been sorted into Gryffindor. "If you are good at the subjects Slytherins are typically good at, why aren't you in Slytherin?" he yelled at/asked me.

"Ask the bloody Sorting Hat!" I yelled at him as he asked for the 10th time. Somehow, (it's a mystery) I managed to survive the hell hole called holidays and board the Hogwarts Express.

I managed to find a seat with Angelina, Alicia, and a first year named Katie. "Hey Paige, this is Katie…she's a Chaser. Katie, this is Paige, she's a…" Angelina trailed off. "What are you?"

"I'm an everything. I guess I'm a coach," I replied.

"Great! Then you can help me train!" exclaimed Katie.

"Sure…you aren't gonna try out this year, are you?" I asked, skeptical.

"Nah…I'll try out as a second year," she answered.

"So long as you aren't sorted into Slytherin, I'll help you," I promised.

"I hope I won't be," shivered Katie.

"Well, we're here!" spoke up Alicia.

"You've been quiet," stated Angelina.

"Fred, George and Lee keep pointing at us," Alicia explained.

I stood up and aimed a few blown kisses their way. "I doubt they'll be looking over at us for a while," Angelina laughed.

"I'm just so beautiful, they won't be able to look at me and think," I joked.

"They wouldn't be able to think anyway," retorted Alicia.

"You dislike them?" inquired Katie.

"No, Angelina fancies Fred, Alicia fancies George, and I hate them both," I explained.

"I won't ask," Katie replied.

"That might be best," answered Angelina.

As we got off the train, Katie went over to Hagrid and the other first years, while Angelina, Alicia, and I boarded a carriage. "Hope she gets Gryffindor," I murmured as the carriages took us to the castle.

"Definitely," nodded Alicia.

Sure enough, Katie was put in Gryffindor and our practices began. Katie was a spectacular Chaser; her only fault was her tendency to always pass the Quaffle. "Girl, I know you can make that shot, so take it!" I said to her after she passed to me yet again.

"Sorry, I just don't want to make people mad," she explained.

"So long as we win, they won't give a crap how you do it!" I replied, being my brutally honest self. Katie laughed and I decided to end our practice. "You're fabulous, just keep on-" but what she was to keep on doing, she didn't find out. I was looking up at the sky, which bore the message 'Get out you filthy Malfoy'. "Fred," I muttered as I ran towards the only other person in the Quidditch pitch.

"YOU GREAT PRAT!" I yelled, furious with rage.

"You like it? Nice bit of spell work, huh?" Fred inquired lazily. My response was to run at him and kick him in the shin…hard. But before I could cause him any more pain, he punched me straight in the eye.

I quickly grabbed my wand and yelled "Percificus Totalus!" and smiled as Fred fell to the floor. "C'mon Katie, let's go see Madam Pompfrey," I said casually, motioning to my eye.

"What about Fred?" asked Katie.

"Ohh…someone will find him soon enough." And with that, I headed to Madam Pompfrey.

Sure enough, George and Lee found Fred later that night. "Bloody hell, I'm gonna be in trouble," I muttered as I saw McGonagall headed my way.

"Weasley, Malfoy! Detention with me on Saturday."

"What kind?"

"Lines," she replied sternly.

Well, that's not as bad as it could be," I told Alicia after she had heard the story. "Where's Angelina?" I asked, just realizing the absence of my friend.

"Off with the Quidditch team, I think," Alicia replied thoughtfully.

"Hmm…when are tryouts?" I inquired.

"Next Sunday. They need two Chasers and two Beaters," Alicia answered.

"I hope you and Angelina get on!" I said encouragingly as I headed to bed.

Detention itself wasn't that bad. I just had to write 'I will not use physical force to attack people.' 100 times. But the truly horrible part was having detention with Fred. We kept fighting under our breath, making sure McGonagall couldn't hear.

After a while, we started talking to McGonagall about Quidditch. "Trying out for the team?" she asked us.

"Nope…but I'm training Katie Bell for next year's tryouts. And Angelina and Alicia are trying out as Chasers," I replied.

"George and I are trying out as Beaters," Fred threw casually.

"Probably'll get it, seeing your love for hitting stuff," I said. McGonagall's eyebrows furrowed and Fred's eyes flashed. Trying to prevent another fight another fight, McGonagall sent us to the common room, which I quickly left to go to sleep.

Quidditch tryouts were the next day, and I got up bright and early to begin my spell work. It would be revealed after the tryouts.

Angelina and Alicia did spectacularly, though one guy was just as good as them. To my disappointment, Fred and George were great Beaters, and easily clinched the positions.

Much to my delight, Angelina and Alicia were announced Chasers, so I slipped back to the common room to further prepare my plan.

**A/N: I hope this chappie was at least semi-funny! I loved writing the fights between Paige and Fred! I hope you enjoyed them, too. To find out what mischief Paige has been up too, stay tuned and read the next chappie!**


	3. Boggarts Are Scarier than Werewolves

Chapter 3

Boggarts Are Scarier Than Werewolves

When Angelina and Alicia climbed through the portrait hole, they saw a common room decked out in red and gold. The room boomed, "Welcome Angelina and Alicia, the new Gryffindor Chasers!" Crowns appeared on their heads and robes on their backs. (Alicia's red and Angelina's gold) "Now to make this a party…guys, grab some random girl and dance!" the room shouted as some Weird Sisters' music started playing. I saw Fred grab Angelina and George grab Alicia and I leaned against the wall, sighing. My friends were happy.

Then I felt my waist being pulled and looked up to see the fourth-year Gryffindor Keeper. "I'm Oliver," he said.

"Paige," I replied. "But let's cut the small talk and dance!" The rest of the night was a whirl of dancing and fun. We all trudged to bed around 3:00, all blissfully happy.

Angelina, Alicia, Katie, and I spent the next couple of days discussing that night. (It turns out I was the only one who'd been snogging.) After the first Quidditch practice, Alicia and Angelina talked about how Oliver kept interrogating them about me. "It was quite pathetic really," mused Angelina after we had all had a good laugh.

"You know I like my men pathetic," I said in a low growl, which sent us into a fresh round of giggles.

But Oliver did seem infatuated with me. We stayed out late in the corridors (wink, wink) and stole a moment whenever we could. "I can't wait until I can take you to Hogsmeade," he would often whisper into my ear. For the rest of my second year, I was truly happy.

But summer holidays came too soon, as they have a tendency to do. I had to bid goodbye to some of my favorite people: Oliver, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie. We exchanged hugs (and kisses) and promised to keep in touch. I walked off the train and ran into the arms of my parents, who I hadn't seen in a year. The summer time that I spent at Malfoy Manor was completely dreadful because ickle Drakie-poo was going off to Hogwarts for the first time. The summer was full of preparations and promises. (I wouldn't fight with Draco, etc.) I just couldn't wait to board the train. I'd be taking up Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures, so my schedule would be pretty full, but oh well.

I stepped onto the Hogwarts Express soon, and watched as we pulled out. I sat in a compartment with Oliver and some of the other fifth years, and they all seemed pretty stressed, because this year was OWL year for them. The talk soon turned to Harry Potter, who'd be starting school this year.

"If he's as good of a Seeker as his father was, I won't give a crap if he's the Boy-Who-Lived or whatever," stated Oliver, as honest as ever.

"That's right; you need a Chaser and a Seeker, right?" Oliver nodded and I added, "Consider Katie Bell. She's phenomenal!"

"How do you know?"

"I coached her," I answered proudly. All too soon, we were at Hogwarts.

Oliver and I got into a carriage together, but before we could get close, Fred and George came into the carriage. "Can we sit here? Everywhere else is full," stated George.

Fred crinkled up his nose at the sight of me. "We could always have Angelina and Alicia sit on our laps," Fred muttered.

"They're independent, they won't go for it. I'm a little less independent," I said, smiling up at Oliver.

"I have a feeling I'm not helping with the independence issue much," Oliver replied.

"Please. Stop. Now. For the sake of my health," said Fred sardonically.

"Mmm," I sighed, and with that, we arrived at the castle.

We all entered the Great Hall to watch the first years be sorted and (of course) eat. Everyone was talking because the legendary Harry Potter was coming to school this year. I felt bad for the boy. Everyone gawking at him reminded me way too much of my first week at Hogwarts. But before I could contemplate any further, the first years were brought out.

Harry would have looked like any other first year- nervous and terrified- if it hadn't been for the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

One by one, the first years were sorted- a few going to each of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor. But I only really paid attention when I heard McGonagall call out, "Malfoy, Draco". As soon as the Sorting sat touched his head, it yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!"

I smirked thinking, "Won't daddy be proud?" Soon after, "Potter, Harry" was called and the Great Hall fell silent.

The Sorting Hat sat upon his head for a while before finally announcing, "GRYFFINDOR!" Our whole table leapt to its feet to applaud Harry.

The next few days passed without much happening (Care of Magical Creatures was fine, Arithmancy was absolutely divine.) except for the corridors falling quiet whenever Harry passed. It was so annoying and I could sympathize for the boy and I just snapped when I heard a rude comment.

"It must be great to be famous like Harry," said one boy wistfully. "Oh, yeah. Must be great to be famous for someone wanting to kill you, huh?" I asked sarcastically before turning around.

Fred had said the STUPID remark. "Well…he didn't die," replied Fred defensively.

"His parents did, you big heartless…UGH!" I got so fed up; I just kicked him where it hurt. Before Fred fell to the ground, clasping his…yeah, he managed to give me a solid punch in the mouth.

I felt my tooth chip and headed to the hospital wing for a nice chat with Madam Pompfrey.

The next day, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, we had to deal with a boggart. Professor Quirrel showed us the spell and (lucky me!) I was up first. The boggart came out as a werewolf. For a few seconds, I stood paralyzed, but then remembered the spell. "Riddikulus!" I yelled, and the boggart/werewolf lost all of its fur.

The rest of the class, except Fred and George, went through without problems. Fred came up and his boggart came out as me. "Scared of me, Weasley?" I asked laughing.

But then Fred shouted "Riddikulus!" and I stopped laughing. The boggart had turned into me making out with…Professor Snape. My eyes became really wide, and then I ran out of the classroom, holding back tears.

"Miss Malfoy! What's the matter?" Dumbledore asked as I ran into him, not too far from the classroom.

"You'd be crying too, if somebody's boggart turned into you snogging Professor Snape."

"And somebody was scared of this happening?"

"No. Fred's boggart turned into me and then he Riddikulused it and it turned into that."

"Oh…I see. Do you have any idea why Fred's boggart turned into you?"

"No…whenever we fight, he comes out on top. You know, don't you?" I asked, seeing the look on Dumbledore's face.

"Yes, I do," he smiled.

"But you're going to make me figure it out myself, aren't you?"

"That's correct."

"Well…I better get to class," I said, seeing people stream out of the classrooms.

**A/N: I thought the boggart was cool, how 'bout you? But anyway, please give be feedback so my story doesn't suck! Thanks a million!**


	4. Broken Hearts

Chapter 4

Broken Hearts

"Hey shorty! Bringing more shame to the family name?" rang out the voice of my cousin, a few weeks later, in an empty corridor.

"What do you want?" I asked impatiently.

"To kill you," breathed Draco.

I grabbed for my wand and yelled "Expelliarmus!" just as Draco yelled "Avada Kedavra!" The spells glanced off of each other. Taking advantage of his split-second hesitation, I yelled, "Stupefy!" and he fell to the ground, stunned. I took his wand and stepped on it, breaking it. "Did you really think you could kill me, you stupid first year cousin of mine?" I questioned. Then, I spit in the beautiful face. Feeling rather shaken up, headed to the common room where I could hopefully get a reprieve.

But before I could take more than a few steps, I was bombarded by Fred, George, and Lee.

"How'd you do that?"

"He really wants to kill you?"

"My God, woman…"

"One at a time!" I burst out. "He probably doesn't want to kill me. He's acting on daddy's orders. You probably want to know why I crushed his wand. That way, people can't figure out the last spell he performed, and he can't go to Azkaban. If Draco did go, Lucius would most certainly kill me," I mused, more to myself than the boys.

I'm not sure if it exactly happened that second, but a friendship between the four of us began to form. And I tried to forget the boggart. But that became impossible when Angelina began talking about what George's boggart turned into.

"What was it? I didn't exactly get to see it," I said.

"Ohh…" grimaced Angelina. "It kinda turned into you snogging Oliver. Then he Riddikulused it and Oliver…kinda… died. And George started laughing manically. It was really scary."

"My God. I am so… loved," I replied, for lack of a better word.

"Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow!" said Katie, trying to lighten the mood.

"Good luck! We'll all be there!" I promised.

And like I promised, I was there at Quidditch tryouts, cheering Katie on. Before Oliver went onto the field, I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and to my despair, saw fury flash through George's eyes.

"I'll hope for the best," I thought as I saw the tryouts begin. Not at all surprisingly, Katie got the position, and Oliver characteristically wanted them to practice the next day.

There was a party similar to Angelina and Alicia's for Katie, except that for when I dance with Oliver, it was only half-heartedly. I felt a pang in my heart that I felt wouldn't leave for a long time.

"Oh my God!" Alicia ran down the hall screaming the next day. "Oliver's just been hit in the head REALLY hard with a Bludger! Something might be really wrong!" I felt the pang in my heart worsen, not because Oliver had been injured, but because Fred or George must've hit him. However, despite Alicia's worries, Oliver was up and about two days after the accident.

"I need to talk to you," I stated to Oliver, three days after he'd been out of the hospital wing. "This…our relationship…isn't working out. It's causing…tension… amongst the Quidditch team. I can't do this to Gryffindor anymore, and I can't do that to you. We need to end here, but know you'll always be my first true love." And with that, I turned and walked away, and basically walked away from a stage in my life.

The next day was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. It should have been a happy occasion, but I just drifted from place to place, without thought and without purpose. Even Zonko's couldn't lift my spirits. "I…I'm just not feeling well," I told Angelina for about the fifth time. "I think I'm gonna go back to Hogwarts," I muttered and trekked up to the castle. I fell on my bed, unconscious of my surroundings. It must have been hours that I lay there, for when I sat up, everybody was asleep. "Oliver? What are you doing here?" I asked.

He didn't answer, just crept towards me. "Percificus Totalus," Oliver murmured, and I was immobilized. He started ripping at my clothes, down to my underclothes, before he realized two more people had entered the room. George stunned Oliver and Fred muttered the counter curse to get me to move again. Even though I was free to move, I didn't. I felt a blanket being put over me and my sweating body being gently carried to the boy's dormitories.

Fred and George placed me in the middle of them, and I fell asleep between the two people who had once hated me the most.

I woke up with two protective arms around me…one from each of the twins. I didn't want to wake them up, but figured it was for the best. "You guys?" I asked, and Fred and George woke up. "Sorry to be such a girl, but is there anywhere besides the Great Hall where I can eat?"

"We know just the place," Fred grinned.

"Great! But first can I…uh…get dressed?" I asked, motioning to my body.

"Sure…we'll wait," George stated simply. So I went up to my dormitory, and was back down within five minutes. The common room was empty (it was 5:00 AM), so I went to the boy's dormitories and saw Fred and George sitting on the bed, talking.

"You ready?" I asked.

"My God. A woman that's ready in under an hour! It's a miracle!" exclaimed Fred.

"So…where are we going?" I inquired.

"You have so much to see of the castle," said George, slinging his arm around my neck.

"Prepare to marvel at the wonder that is the kitchens!" said Fred dramatically, likewise slinging an arm around my neck. We talked as we walked, and before long, I asked the thing that had been burning in my head the whole morning.

"I slept with two guys yesterday. Neither tried to take advantage of me, even though I would have been powerless if they wanted to do something like that. Why?"

"Maybe," said George, after thinking for a while, "Maybe you're too important for those guys to abuse."

"Maybe," Fred replied, "they couldn't ever feel good again with the knowledge that they hurt you."

I gave them a half-smile, just as we arrived at a painting of fruit. "Here we are…at the kitchens," announced Fred with great flourish.

**A/N: Before you start thinking that Oliver is a deranged rapist, keep some things in mind! He IS a little OOC, he just got hit in the head with a Bludger, and the purpose of that whole event was to transform Fred, George, and Paige from enemies into friends. So Oliver is NOT, I repeat NOT, a deranged rapist.**


	5. Kitchens and Holidays

Chapter 5

Kitchens and Holidays

"Tickle the pear," murmured George in my ear. I reached up to the pear and my shortness barely let me reach it.

Nevertheless, I tickled it, and the three of us climbed into the kitchen. "Everything you have for breakfast," said Fred to a house elf they seemed quite familiar with. Within five minutes, a multitude of food was laid out before us.

"Expecting us?" I inquired.

"Nah," replied George. "If they were expecting us, the food would be laid out for us when we got here."

We continued to talk until we finished eating, and then thanked the house elves profusely. "For our numero uno lady," joked Fred, as the twins picked me up into a cradle position. I shrieked, and then felt something unnatural spring from my throat. It was one pure, sweet, innocent note of laughter. It was the first time I'd laughed in a long time.

Fred and George became extremely protective of me over the next few weeks, hesitating to leave me even to go to Quidditch practice. "Nothing's gonna happen to me," I laughed, as they left for the last Quidditch practice of the season.

They came back late that night, conversing in low whispers. "What's up?" I asked.

"Should we tell her?" asked Fred gravely.

George nodded.

"George is pregnant," Fred replied matter of factly.

I doubled over in laughter as George threw something at Fred's head. "But anyway," said George. "You're staying with us this summer."

"Get out! The whole summer?" I exclaimed.

"Yep!" answered Fred.

"That's bloody brilliant!" I yelled, jumping into Fred's arms and getting twirled around, then doing the same to George.

"Watch out for Mum, though," warned Fred.

"Yeah. Since you're a pretty girl with a brain, she'll be trying to set you up with Percy, or, if you're lucky, Charlie," agreed George. The summer holidays came quickly, and we were soon on a train back to London.

Turns out I was lucky. Whatever I said could be related to Charlie Weasley. I could see where Charlie might come into a Quidditch-related conversation, but some of the similarities to Charlie that Mrs. Weasley came up with were utterly absurd.

"This meat reminds me of Charlie," said Mrs. Weasley one day at dinner.

"He tastes like it?" asked Fred.

"…or he looks like it?" inquired George.

"You boys are so funny…just like Charlie," mused Mrs. Weasley.

"I think I might need to be excused," I gasped. I ran to my room and dissolved into a puddle of laughter.

The time at the Weasley's was wonderful. There was so much Quidditch playing and great food. Only once did I kick Fred! They had been gone all night and when they came back, I, of course, asked them where they'd been.

"Um…we borrowed Dad's car and flew to get Harry Potter," muttered Fred.

"No frikkin' way! You took a frikkin' flying car without bringing me?" I screeched.

"Fred didn't want you to get hurt," murmured George defensively.

"Oh, how sweet," I said flatly, narrowing my eyes. With that, I promptly kicked Fred in the shin.

"Ohh, no you don't!" growled Fred and tackled me. George flopped onto the bed, laughing maniacally as Fred and I romped around the room for a few minutes.

"I give up," said Fred, and he fell to the ground, with me landing on him. Just then, Mrs. Weasley came into the room.

I can imagine how the scene must've looked to her. Her son's friend on top of her son, chests heaving, hair in disarray, and robes disheveled. "Are you two doing something I should know about?" asked Mrs. Weasley tentatively.

"Mum! If they were doing something like that, would they do it in front of me?" asked George.

"Maybe George should stay near you for the rest of the holidays," said Mrs. Weasley as he closed the door.

We all burst out laughing and didn't talk until George said, "I'm not sure Fred wants you off of him." I then got off of Fred to chuck something at George.

"Maybe I don't want you off of me," growled Fred as he pulled me back on top of him.

George then ran out of the room yelling, "Fred and Paige are in lurve! Fred and Paige…" But before he could finish, Fred and I tackled him. Mrs. Weasley started coming down the hall, saw us, and turned around and walked away.

"I think…that means…that it's time for…dinner," gasped Fred through fits of laughter.

Mrs. Weasley didn't bring up the subject of Charlie, but ickle Ronniekins and Harry brought up a most interesting subject. "Were Fred and Paige protected, Mum?" asked Ron. Simultaneously, my cider shot out my nose into the mashed potatoes, Fred spit his butterbeer into Percy's face, and George speared his fork into the table.

Mrs. Weasley ignored Ron's question, and took George's fork out of the table. "Dear, how do you tell them apart?" she asked me.

"Well, Fred talks too much and is more outgoing and wants to be the center of attention. George is more serious and prefers laughing crazily from the sidelines. But at first glance? They kinda give off a different aura. Like…George slouches and Fred always stands with his legs apart and when George flies his left shoulder is always lower than his right and…lots of little things like that," I trailed off.

"You sure know a lot about the twins," stated Mrs. Weasley, raising an eyebrow.

"Mum…she's just observant and smart," stated Percy, for once not being a total prat.

"Fourth year's going to be boring," I moaned. "The only thing worth mentioning is Dumbledore's making me take up Divination."

"You'll love Trelawney…she's awful," Fred said. "She's an old bat."

"Each year she predicts the death of one of the students," George murmured.

"Ohh, fun," I replied sarcastically.

"But if you 'see' dying in the tea leaves or whatever, she goes psycho. She gets ecstatic!" Fred added.

The rest of dinner passed with Fred and George informing me of the many 'quirks' of Professor Trelawney. Maybe fourth year would be fun. "You'll see lots of squirrels in my dream chart," I replied to a question George had asked. "Squirrels are just awesome."

But I couldn't help wondering, why, just why, Dumbledore wanted me to take up Divination so much. Maybe he just wanted to give me a laugh. But I doubted it.

We all boarded the Hogwarts Express, and I saw Mrs. Weasley waving at us, smiling at me almost resentfully. I don't think she liked that I knew the twins better than she did or that I had that nearly unachievable physical relationship with them. How purple her face would turn if she found out that I'd gasp slept with them.

I laughed and set off to find a compartment. "Where are you going?" asked George.

"To sit with Alicia, Angelina, and Katie," I replied.

"You're coming with us," growled Fred, and George and Fred dragged me to where they were sitting with Lee.

"Nooo…" I yelled dramatically as they threw me into the compartment.

"Now is that any way to treat a lady?" asked Lee.

"She's not a lady," said Fred.

"What am I then? A man?" I asked.

"No…you're a…goddess?" answered George, rather lamely.

Pretty soon, the food trolley came and I bought ten of everything. "You that hungry?" asked Lee.

"No. I know that either a) I would give you guys lots of food or b) you would 'steal' it. Unless I bought way too much, it would be gone in seconds," I explained.

"You think we would steal food?" asked George, swiping some Bertie Bott's.

"As hard as it is to believe, yes," I replied, opening a Chocolate Frog.

The rest of the train rid was goofing off and telling Lee what happened at the Burrow. When we told him about Mrs. Weasley finding me on Fred, I thought Lee would fall out the window from laughing. So much had happened over the summer that the four of us were talking non-stop all the way off the train, to the carriages, and to the castle.

**A/N: I thought this funny (I hope) chapter was a nice change after the dark chapter before this. I had tremendous fun with the whole Paige-on-top-of-Fred thing, and I hope I got the character's reactions right!**


	6. A Different Trio

Chapter 6

A Different Trio

"I hope Ginny gets Gryffindor," muttered George.

"Oh, she will," I replied.

"What makes you so sure?" asked Lee, quirking an eyebrow.

"Okay. The story of how I met Ginny Weasley," I began. "I was walking up the stairs to Fred and George's room and she comes up to me asking, "Aren't you too young to be friends with Fred and George?" "How old do you think I am? I asked. And she goes, "11." "Well, eight-year-olds shouldn't interfere with **14** year olds," I replied to her ouch-right-in-the-heart comment. Then she narrows her eyes and says, "I'm 11." Then she turns around and leaves."

"Bonding of the midgets!" yelled Fred, before I clocked him on the head with my plate.

Ginny Weasley did get in Gryffindor and I could see Gred and Forge beam. "She's your favorite, isn't she?" I asked lazily.

"I suppose she is," said George.

"She's the most like you…yet so different," I commented.

"If I met a girl my age just like Ginny, I would be in love," yawned Fred, stretching.

"Time to go to the common room?" I questioned.

"Sure," the three boys answered eagerly, happy not to be the first to admit he was tired. Fred and I played Wizard's chess while Lee and George played Exploding Snap.

"Finally! Someone I can beat!" yelled Fred, as he checkmated me. "Ron ALWAYS brags because he can beat me in Wizarding chess all the time," he added.

Not too long after, we decided to retire. I gave everybody hugs and George said, "In first and second year, you ignored us when we went to bed. For most of third year, you smiled and waved. Now you're giving out hugs."

Fred cut in, "If you don't be careful, you're gonna be snogging us each night before we go to sleep." So I fell asleep with a smile on my face. How quickly that smile would disappear, I had no idea.

If you told me what my main source of pain would be that year, before it actually happened, I would have laughed in your face and called you delusional. But the first week back at school, it happened. The thing I never thought would happen, but always worried about, happened.

I dropped a flask in Potions and, instead of cleaning it up magically, Snape sent me to get a mop from Filch's broom closet. I opened up the closet and stood paralyzed in shock. There stood Angelina and Fred, who had obviously been snogging. I gathered my wits and did the only thing that seemed rational. I ignored Fred and Angelina, grabbed a mop, and went back to the dungeon. Divination wasn't even as fun as it would have been, because I was just soooo confused inside. Two weeks, empty, ghost-like, almost non-existent weeks, passed.

I finally did the smartest thing I'd done in those two weeks. I went to see Professor McGonagall. "And I've never felt so mixed up before," I ended.

"And you've already considered that…" she asked.

"that I'm in love with him?" I cut in. "I've considered it, but it feels more like the best big brother ever is leaving. It's the end of Fred, George, Paige and Lee. And the beginning of something else."

And so it was the end of the four of us, and the beginning of something completely different. I joined another trio-Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and me. I guess everybody thought it strange that a first year, second year, and fourth year hung out together, but I didn't give a crap. We had fun goofing off together, and discussing the ever-confusing species of the male. "If Fred heard me talking like this, I would be tied to him and never allowed to be more than three feet from him," I laughed.

"Me too," added Ginny.

"You know…we probably should be studying," spoke up Hermione.

"Okay… whose homework first?" Ginny asked.

"How 'bout mine? Hardest first?" I suggested.

"Sure," answered Hermione, and with that, we started attacking the evil thing called homework.

Over the next few months, Ginny and Hermione became my best friends. George and Lee did seem to miss me, but I kept assuring them that I was fine. Whenever I saw Fred, my face would flush a little. Not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. "How could he just up and leave his best friends? How could the best friendship ever just…end?" I would constantly ask myself.

As I was walking down the hallway one day, I muttered, "I hate testerone and hormones." I think McGonagall heard me, but she just left it. "She probably has seen Angelina and Fred sucking each others faces off today," I thought. "It's kinda hard to miss. But why do I care so much?" I asked myself. "I DON'T KNOW!" I answered aloud. That same general scenario happened about three times a day, so my brain was constantly hurting.

People around school kept getting paralyzed, but it was nobody I knew. That is…until Hermione. I was really upset, despite the fact that the Mandrake would be ready soon. It was always lurking in my mind.

One of the last days of the term, all the third years and up were supposed to go to Hogsmeade. I was really looking forward to bringing stuff back for Ginny and Hermione, when she…um, woke up. That all changed when it was announced that somebody was in the Chamber of Secrets. I rushed into the common room, running around, trying to figure out who it was. Nobody seemed to know, so I rushed to McGonagall to try to figure out who it was. But I stopped when I heard screaming coming from down the hall. It was Fred and Angelina.

"How can you want to go to Hogsmeade when somebody's in danger of dying?" he yelled.

"Having fun takes your mind off of things like this!" Angelina bellowed.

"How am I supposed to think of anything else?" Fred asked.

"Do you know who's in the chamber?" she questioned.

"It's Ginny!" he roared, in a voice that seemed to end the world. I froze for a few seconds, and then ran into Fred's arms, and we held onto each other like there was nobody but us and our worries in the world.

"Where's the chamber? How do we get in?" I asked desperately into his chest.

"I don't know. If I knew, I'd be down there," answered Fred, resting his chin on top of my head. We stood there for hours, holding onto each other. An eternity later, McGonagall found Fred and told him that his sister was in the hospital wing, and all family could come visit her. He kissed the top of my head then ran off to see Ginny.

"That was a brotherly kiss," I assured myself over and over again, as I walked back to the common room. And it was. No strange relationship blossomed from it… thank God! I was glad summer holidays were soon. I'd be spending my time at the Burrow.

**A/N: I had bits of fun with this chapter, the tension with the Angelina, Fred, Paige triangle. One guess as to who Paige is in love with! **


	7. Some Random Bits Of Fluff

Chapter 7

Some Random Bits of Fluff

"Our last days of not worrying about OWLs," sighed Fred, on the Hogwarts Express.

I snorted. "You're gonna worry at all?"

"No, but you will!" accused Fred.

"Mmmhmm," I answered. "But I don't know what classes I'm gonna drop after this year."

"I'll drop Potions, Divination…everything but Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Let's not talk about OWLs," George said as he popped into the compartment.

"Did Alicia figure out your real purpose for finding out where she lives?" asked Fred.

"I don't know what you're talking about," answered George, slightly redder in the cheeks.

"You just wanted to be able to know where all the Quidditch players live, right?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Sure…let's go with that," stumbled George.

"Georgie-Porgie is in lurve!" yelled Fred and me in unison. The rest of the way back to London was spent badgering George about his new flame and dreading the OWLs.

The Burrow was tremendously fun, as usual. Mrs. Weasley still didn't forget the previous summer, and was always hesitant to leave me and Fred alone. "Mum, what do you expect us to do?" Fred asked constantly.

"Oh, nothing. I just don't like to leave my babies all by themselves," Mrs. Weasley constantly answered. We often played Quidditch, and I was finally on the winning team! (Fred, Charlie, Ginny, and me vs. Bill, George, Harry, and Ron) But the days of fun at the Burrow were occasionally interrupted by Mrs. Weasley's talk of OWLs. She was constantly egging on Fred because his final exams in Potions and Divination had been horrible and George because he wasn't 'up to scratch' in Herbology.

"You know, I've heard that people pay others to fail their OWLs," I remarked one day. "If I knew I would fail certain classes, that might not be a bad idea. I might get someone to pay me to fail History of Magic."

Fred and George raised their eyebrows. "Goody-good Paige? Getting paid to fail a class?" asked George.

"Why not? I'm gonna fail History of Magic anyway. Might as well get some money out of it," I answered.

"Well…we do need money for the joke shop," Fred mused.

"Back up," I said, confused. "Joke shop?"

"Yeah, we have ideas for Ton-Tongue toffee, Canary Creams…stuff like that. We need Galleons to get the products into circulation."

"My God! That's brilliant! I could steal the Galleons from Lucius…if you want?"

"Nah. He'd kill you."

"No he wouldn't. I was really mad at him once, so I nicked 50 Galleons, but he didn't even notice. It sucked. How can you not notice 50 Galleons gone missing?"

"I don't know." "I certainly would. Everybody thinks that since we're Malfoys, we got Galleons coming out our ears. Not true. My parents say all the time that I should be grateful. If I had even one sibling, we might not be able to afford Hogwarts. The only reason we don't seem that poor is me nicking Galleons off of Lucius. My parents don't know where I get them."

By then I was starting to get really angry so I added, "Sorry to be such a girl. Must be PMS."

It was then that we noticed Mrs. Weasley in the doorway. "MUM! Don't you understand privacy?" asked George.

"How much did you hear?" asked Fred.

"Just the bit about…you poor girl!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, coming over to hug me. I think Mrs. Weasley's misgivings about be ended there, because she finally realized that I wasn't rolling in Galleons.

"Dinnertime!" said Mrs. Weasley as she left the room. George, Fred, and I jumped up and ran to the table, realizing just how ravenous we were. The last bit of the holidays, Mrs. Weasley laid off the talk about OWLs, probably figuring that we'd get enough about it at school.

And sure enough, when we returned to school, all the teachers could talk about was OWLs this, OWLs that. Snape was the worst. He was always like, "I hope none of you want careers that require NEWTs in Potions," and crap like that. It drove me crazy! Does he want everyone to fail their OWLs?

Almost all of the teachers were requiring high OWL grades, except for Hagrid and Trelawney, who would accept an Acceptable. Homework was piled higher than ever, and all OWL students got almost no sleep.

A lot of the students were freaked out because Sirius Black was on the loose, but even when he broke into Hogwarts, I wasn't worried. Lucius, being the git that he is, once let it slip that Sirius had to be innocent.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was better than ever, as Lupin was our teacher. The year whizzed by, and soon, career advice was looming. Fred, George, Lee, and I searched through pamphlets, trying to find interesting careers. Fred was interested in working at the Ministry…or so he said. George wanted to work as a wand maker…or so he said. Lee wanted to work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and I decided on being an Auror or a Gringotts Curse Breaker.

Our career advice sessions were all scheduled on the same Saturday, so we agreed to do our homework together outside of McGonagall's office while waiting for the others to finish/ wait for our turn. It was crazy nerve-wracking, waiting outside for each other to finish. Lee was to go in first, followed by George, Fred, and finally me.

"Good luck!" we all told Lee as we started on Transfiguration.

"Write a foot-long essay about the similarities and differences of human and animal Transfiguration," read George aloud.

"Umm…human Transfiguration is more complex than animal Transfiguration…because…humans are larger and better protected than the small animals that are less protected against magic," I recalled.

"However, both are (obviously) forms of live Transfiguration," added George.

"Both forms are more dangerous to the subject than the performer," spoke up Fred. With that, we started the foot long essay on Transfiguration.

We had all finished when Lee came out of McGonagall's office, slightly paler than normal.

**A/N: Like the title of the chappie suggests, this chapter was random bits of fluff, kind of there just to pass the time until OWLs. If you're totally thick and couldn't realize that Paige was acting (just out of boredom), she was.**


	8. Career Advice and OWLs

Chapter 8

Career Advice and OWLs

"It was okay. McGonagall said that all I need to do is bring up my Charms grade when I get into the NEWT class," Lee remarked. "Good luck, George," he added, and Fred and I echoed him.

George entered the office, and Fred, Lee, and I started on the Potions homework. "Name 15 poisons that can be cured by a single element and explain why this element will work," I read aloud. Because of my aptitude for the subject, we finished quickly and started on our Charms homework.

"Name three charms that have been useful to you in your everyday life and 6 inches on how these spells have helped you," Fred read aloud.

"Good ol' Flitwick, giving us easy homework," remarked Lee.

And sure enough, we finished by the time George came out. "It went well. McGonagall said that I needed to bring up my Transfiguration grade a little bit. Next up is Fred," said George.

We wished him luck and started on our Divination homework. "All we need to do is fill out that stupid dream chart," said Lee. So we made up our bull crap dreams then interpreted them.

When we'd all finished, I said, "Let's see, I have dying three times, and being successful twice. Ohh…my dream about flying means I'm gonna die soon and live a long and happy life." George and Lee howled with laughter as Fred came out of the office.

"McGonagall's all mad 'cuz I said my career was to be Minister of Magic. She ended in screaming that I better get a NEWT in every subject then. She's all worked up, so…good luck, Paige," stated Fred.

I entered the office and saw McGonagall slightly redder in the face. "Do you have any ideas about careers you'd like to pursue?" McGonagall asked.

"Umm…well, I was thinking of an Auror or Curse Breaker, Professor," I answered.

"Okay. You'll need to have five NEWTs to be an Auror. I'd recommend Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, in your case, and Defense Against the Dark Arts to be an Auror. You'll need Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Arithmancy to be a curse breaker. You're averaging between Exceeds Expectations and Outstanding in Potions, but considering that Professor Snape is such a tough grader, you'll easily get the required Potions grade. Since Mr. Weasley got me so worked up, I'm going to do something completely uncharacteristic. I'm going to let you in on a little secret-Snape admitted not too long ago that you'll probably be his only new NEWT student," McGonagall said. I was surprised, but I can't say I wasn't pleased. McGonagall continued, "Charms you might need to bring up. You're averaging an Exceeds Expectations, but Flitwick's very lenient. Your Transfiguration is averaging a little higher than Exceeds Expectations, so you're good to go on that. Defense Against the Dark Arts you're averaging between Exceeds Expectations and Outstanding, so you're good to go on that. In Arithmancy, you're averaging an Outstanding, so you're definitely good on that. Honestly, I'm surprised you aren't going for more careers that require Potions and Arithmancy, as you have an aptitude for both of those subjects."

"Well, Professor, I don't want to work at the Ministry as anything other than an Auror, and there weren't any other positions that required Potions and Arithmancy. However, if I decide to be a Curse Breaker, I know it's an added bonus to have NEWTs in other subjects, so I plan to take NEWT classes for those five subjects, as long as I get the required OWL," I answered.

"Very well, then. You may go. And Paige? Good luck," McGonagall said.

"Thanks," I replied and left the office.

"It went well," I told Fred, George and Lee. "I just need to improve in Charms." I didn't tell them about what Snape said, because if I told them, the whole school would know, and I didn't want the school to know my business.

Before we had much time to mull over the career advice, OWLs were here. My OWLs would last just over two weeks and went: Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, History of Magic, Divination, Charms, Arithmancy, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and finally Astronomy.

The Transfiguration theory went well; I was only unsure of a few questions. The practical went even better, because I did the spells nearly perfectly.

Care of Magical Creatures theory went well, but the practical wasn't so hot. The niffler I was supposed to be handling toke the gold buttons off of the examiner's jacket. When I told Fred, George, and Lee, they broke down in laughter.

Potions theory went excellently, and the practical (if possible) went even better. I made the draught perfectly (not to brag). The examiner, an excitable man called Mr. Tofty said, "I've heard rumors that you can brew Veritaserum…"

"Professor McGonagall mentioned that my examiner might mention that," I laughed. "I already brewed the potion, just in case," I said, pulling the flask out of my robe. I labeled it and handed it to Mr. Tofty. "You can test it if you want, but if you perform this simple Charm, you'll be able to tell," I added. I performed the Color Change Charm and nothing happened. "Veritaserum is the only known potion that can't change its color. And poorly brewed Veritaserum will change its color," I explained.

Mr. Tofty looked like he was about to burst. "How long have you been able to produce Veritaserum brewed like this?" he asked.

"Since fourth year," I replied nonchalantly.

"My dear, you and Professor Snape are the only living wizards I can think of that are able to produce this potion, and he couldn't brew it perfectly until seventh year!" Mr. Tofty exclaimed. He was still muttering as I left.

My History of Magic sucked, I could tell, and not just because I'd been paid 5 Galleons to fail it.

Divination actually went pretty well…if I'm lucky I might have passed. My only mistake was a big one though. I dropped the crystal ball out of frustration after I had 'Seen' the examiner marrying a dog. It was kinda creepy, but hilariously funny.

Charms went well. Theory was okay, but I'm pretty sure my Growth charm might have earned me an Exceeds Expectations.

Arithmancy went wonderfully, what can I say? My answer to one of the questions- What subject would you relate most to Arithmancy? - was pure genius. Most people said the Muggle subject of math, but I answered Ancient Runes, because Ancient Runes is the translation of words, and Arithmancy is the 'translation' of numbers.

Herbology I might have scraped an Acceptable in. I did well in practical examinations, but I got very few of the answers in theory correct.

Defense Against the Dark Arts definitely went well. I did very well against the boggart and was able to answer the question about the werewolves very well.

Astronomy would have gone well, but I didn't have time to finish the chart, and kept getting distracted by Fred and George pointing their telescopes at me. (Idiots…)

After that, OWLs were over and I could breathe again. Fred and George had earned 30 Galleons each by failing OWLs, which they said was enough to start experimenting.

"I hope the results get to the Burrow soon, so I won't be freaking out," I hoped.

"I hope they don't," stated George.

"Mum'll kill us. We can only get a maximum of 3 OWLs because we were paid to fail six," Fred added.

"Well, good luck with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Hope your Mum doesn't catch you," I remarked as I headed up to my bed to crash.

**A/N: I hope you liked my theory about why Fred and George only got three OWLs. They're such brilliant wizards; this seemed the only logical way for them to fail all those classes! **


	9. OWL Results

Chapter 9

OWL Results

On the Hogwarts Express back to London, Lee and I helped Fred and Gorge to make order forms for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It consisted of Ton-Tongue Toffee, Canary Creams, Skiving Snackboxes, Weasley's Wildfire Whiz Bangs, Headless Hats, and Nose-Biting Teacups. Only the first two had been perfected, but the others would be…soon enough.

When I got off with Fred and George, Mrs. Weasley asked, "Have you told her yet?"

"Told me what?" I asked.

"That you're coming to the World Cup with us," stated Fred.

"No. Freakin'. Way!" I yelled, jumping onto Fred. All the way to the Burrow, I was scarily happy.

Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and I had immense fun playing (what else?) Quidditch. The first week of holidays was utter bliss.

Then Ron and Ginny got their supply lists. "It takes an extra day to get the lists to the new sixth-year students, because the OWL results need to be put in by the Ministry," twittered Mrs. Weasley. Dinner that night was silent, and Fred and I played only one game of chess before deciding to retire.

The next day, we woke up pretty early, and ate just a bit of breakfast. Fred and George and then George and I played chess.

In the middle of the Wizarding Chess game that Fred and I were playing, we heard Mrs. Weasley's shrill scream of "They're here!" and trudged down the stairs to the kitchen.

I tortured myself even further by forcing myself to read the supply list before opening up my OWL results. "Dress robes?" I wondered aloud. Fred and George shrugged simultaneously and I opened up my OWL results.

**Ordinary Wizarding Level Results**

Pass Grades

Fail Grades

Outstanding (O)

Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A)

Troll (T)

Paige Summer Malfoy has achieved:

"I can't do it!" I yelled hysterically.

"Yes you can!" yelled Fred, trying to encourage me. I took a few calming breaths and resumed reading.

Paige Summer Malfoy has achieved:

Arithmancy

O

Astronomy

A

Care of Magical Creatures

A

Charms

E

Defense Against the Dark Arts

O

Divination

P

Herbology

A

History of Magic

D

Potions

O

Transfiguration

E

"Swap," I said to Fred, trying to hold back my enthusiasm. He got (starting with Astronomy): P, P, E, O, D, P, D, P, E.

"If I hadn't gotten paid, all my Poors would have been Acceptables," Fred muttered.

I then swapped with George. He got: P, P, O, E, P, P, P, P, O. "I could have gotten Acceptables in all but History of Magic and Divination," George muttered. Mrs. Weasley was hovering in a corner of the kitchen, waiting for Fred and George to hand her the papers. When they did, her face immediately fell.

"Mrs. Weasley?" I asked. "Fred got the same grades as me in four classes and George did better than me in three and got the same grade as me in one. And they both got at least one Outstanding," I reasoned.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Mrs. Weasley, in a daze.

Mrs. Weasley was like that for the next week…then she found the order forms. "WEASLEY'S WIZARDING WHEEZES! NO WONDER YOU DIDN'T GET MORE OWLS! YOU SPENT ALL YOUR TIME **JOKING** AROUND!" bellowed Mrs. Weasley.

"Uh, oh," I thought, hoping she didn't figure out that I was involved in it. The next few weeks Mrs. Weasley fuming mad and everybody looking forward to the Quidditch World Cup.

It finally came. The World Cup finally came. We woke up at about 4:00 and trekked to the top of a hill. After a couple of minutes, the Diggorys came. I smiled and waved to Cedric, who smiled and waved back. But everybody else seemed to be giving him these if-looks-could-kill-he'd-be-dead-a-long-time-ago looks. "You guys, Quidditch isn't everything…just most things," I muttered.

They wouldn't listen, but seemed to get madder as Amos bragged about Cedric. "Shall we go?" I asked after a couple of minutes.

"Well then, everybody get a finger on the boot," said Arthur. I felt the weirdest sensation and fell to the ground as soon as we touched it. Everybody but Cedric, Arthur and Amos had fallen.

"You'll get used to it," said Cedric as he helped me up.

"Thanks," I replied. "But I still prefer flying."

"It's the best…the rush…the exhilaration…nothing is like being on a broom," remarked Cedric. The Diggorys and the Weasleys went their separate ways, and Cedric and I waved goodbye and promised to talk at school.

"He was checking you out," growled Fred.

"Who?" I asked.

"Diggory."

"He was not!"

"He totally was," Ginny cut in. "Muggle clothes suit you, so who can blame him?"

"What's so special about a gray t-shirt and jean mini?"

"It makes you look like a sex symbol," growled George.

"First of all, this is all I have. And second of all, I do not look like a sex symbol!" I yelled.

"Sorry! My friend just got checked out by Cedric Diggory and is denying she did!" explained Fred, "apologizing" to the people who had started to stare.

I picked up a rock and chucked it at Fred's leg. "Say you're sorry," growled Fred, walking towards me. I shook my head. "Say you're sorry," he growled again. Once again, I shook my head. He picked me up and turned me upside-down.

"Put me down!" I shrieked, enjoying myself wholly.

"Not until you say you're sorry," growled Fred.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I said, and he put me down, right as we got to the actual camping spot. "Why do you have to be a big, strong Beater who can pick me up?" I asked, fake pouting.

"'Cuz I can," answered Fred, giving me one of his trademark enormous hugs.

Then we went over to help Mr. Weasley put the tent together. We finally got it up after an hour or two and ate in the boy's tent, because they were so much bigger inside than they appeared. By then, Bill, Charlie, and Percy had arrived, so we ate a huge Weasley plus three dinner. Dinner involved discussing who would win (Ireland vs. Bulgaria) and…that's it. "Krum's amazing and all, but the Irish Chasers are just unbelievable. It's Ireland all the way," I said.

"But Krum is definitely getting the Snitch," cut in Fred. "Lynch is great, but Krum's just too good for words."

"The only way for Bulgaria to win at all is for Krum to get the Snitch in the first…20 minutes of the game," I added.

"That's never been done before at the World Cup. Krum's great and all, but I don't think he can fill that tall of an order," George remarked.

"If I was into betting, I'd bet on Ireland winning, but Krum getting the Snitch," I concluded.

We girls decided it was about time to retire and headed to our tent. "Cedric was checking you out," said Hermione.

"I can't wait for the World Cup," I remarked, ignoring Hermione. Shortly after that, I fell fast asleep.

**A/N: There's going to be some interesting Cedric/Paige stuff in the next few chapters. Just a quick hint: Cedric isn't going to be a perfect little good boy. I promise he won't be a rapist, like Oliver, but he's not going to be perfect.**


	10. The World Cup and A Muggle Store

Chapter 10

The World Cup and a Muggle Store

We woke up bright and early and headed to the Top Box. It was unbelievably awesome. Fred, George and I all had our faces painted green for Ireland. (It was so cool to see the look on everybody's face when we emerged from the tent.) I bought a pair of super flippin' awesome Omniculars. Before the match started, I looked around for people that I knew. I found Angelina and Alicia, but they couldn't see me. Then I found Cedric, who saw me with his Omniculars and we waved to each other. I showed Fred where Cedric was, gave him the Omniculars to use for awhile, and left the Top Box to go get some food. Fred yelled at me after I'd gotten out of the Top Box, "He was following your arse with the Omniculars!"

"Yeah right!" I yelled back. "Cedric isn't a perv!" And I went to go get a pretzel.

When I came back, the mascots were just starting to come out. When the veela came, I looked around to see who looked like they were going crazy (sometimes aided by the Omniculars). Draco did a back flip, Percy almost snapped his wand in half, Seamus looked about ready to lick…something, and that's just the beginning. It was frikkin' hilarious!

When the Irish mascots came out, everyone seemed to get their senses back, and grab as much gold as possible. "We have to go to Diagon Alley!" I yelled, after getting about 30 Galleons. But then I remembered that leprechaun gold vanishes in hours. However, I didn't tell anyone else, because I didn't want to rain on their parade.

Soon the match started, and both sides played beautifully. But Ireland's offense was just too good for Bulgaria's defense. Krum did an amazing Wronski Feint, sending Lynch to the ground. But Lynch made a recovery, and I murmured to Fred and George, "Krum's using this time to look for the Snitch. He's gonna get it." And sure enough, Krum got the Snitch, but Bulgaria still lost. "How much did you win?" I asked. Fred whispered the figure into my ear, and I smiled. "Enough to start fake wands and maybe Skiving Snackboxes!" I whispered.

We went back to camp and were celebrating until we saw masked people levitating Muggles in the air. "Fred, George, keep Paige and Ginny with you. Everybody, go find somewhere safe," commanded Arthur.

Fred, George, Ginny and I ran, but I couldn't resist yelling "Hi, Uncle Lucius!" when we got scarily close to the Death Eaters. We found a clearing and stood there for a while, but when we saw the Dark Mark, we ran back to camp. We were there for a while before Arthur, Harry, Hermione, and Ron came back.

"Dad? What happened?" asked George.

"We'll talk about it later."

We got back to the Burrow as soon as possible, and Mrs. Weasley gave Fred and George death-by-hugging when we got back. "What if you didn't come home and the last thing I ever said to you was about not getting enough OWLs?" she wailed.

"Molly, they're okay," answered Arthur.

"Right…of course. We need to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to buy dress robes and school books," said Mrs. Weasley, regaining her composure.

I whispered something to Fred, who nodded fervently, so I asked Mrs. Weasley, "I want to get a Muggle dress, so I was wondering if Mr. Weasley and I could get it tomorrow?"

"Of course. Arthur would love to. If you'll just circle the books you need, I'll get them tomorrow."

So the next day, Mr. Weasley and I set out to buy a Muggle dress. "I'm looking for a silver dress," I told the lady, after I'd pulled Arthur away from the parking meters.

"How about this one? Silk, sleeveless, cinches the waist, and has a full skirt," she recited.

I tried on the beautiful dress and fell in love with it. "I'll take it!" I announced.

"That'll be $300," she stated.

I handed her a Galleon and asked, "Will this cover it?"

"Oh, yes, of course," she answered, eyes gleaming.

Mr. Weasley and I headed back to Diagon Alley. We met everybody in Flourish and Blotts, where Mrs. Weasley was buying the last of the school books. So we headed back to the Burrow, and I told everyone how I'd gotten a beautiful dress for one Galleon. Arthur was obsessively talking about parking meters.

When we got back to the Burrow, Fred and George realized the Galleons that Mr. Bagman had paid them were gone.

"That git must have paid us in leprechaun gold…that evil little son of a-,"

"Fred," I stated warningly. "Anyway, my offer to nick gold off of Lucius still stands."

"We'd just perfected fake wands! And we planned to sell the Canary Creams, fake wands, and Ton-Tongue Toffee!"

"Here," I said, handing George 10 Galleons. "Use it to make one of the products, sell it, and then use the profit to buy supplies for the other stuff."

"But we're still gonna get our money from Ludo Bagman, the-,"

"FRED!"

"Sorry."

"But, by all means, do get your money. But now, I'm hungry, so let's go eat dinner."

The rest of the summer we made Canary Creams in secret and planned to sell them and then the Ton-Tongue toffee and fake wands. If Mrs. Weasley had any idea of what we were doing, she didn't let on. Fred and George were in high spirits, considering they would only be taking three classes.

"Wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be," stated Fred one day, at the end of holidays.

"You won't care about Defense Against the Dark Arts, when you see what's happening at Hogwarts this year," stated Mrs. Weasley.

"Wish I was still at Hogwarts," remarked Bill.

"Why? What's happening at Hogwarts?"

"You'll see."

We were wondering so hard about that that we barely realized when Mr. Weasley went missing one night to sort out something with Moody. "Probably a cat," muttered George as we finished our packing.

**A/N: The Quidditch World Cup was fun, don't you think? And Mr. Weasley obsessed with parking meters? Classic.**


	11. McGonagall's Insight

Chapter 11

McGonagall's Insight and the Imperious Curse

Everybody on the Hogwarts Express was abuzz with "What the heck is happening?" and "Why do we need dress robes?" and the occasional "Who's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher going to be?" But I wasn't as inquisitive, because I knew Dumbledore would explain soon enough.

And sure enough, as soon as the first years had been sorted, Dumbledore began to announce an event taking place at Hogwarts, when Moody came in. Moody was to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "Well…dad'll be happy. He's old pals with Moody," muttered George. Shortly, Dumbledore announced that the Triwizard Tournament would be taking place at Hogwarts.

Fred and George were ecstatic…until Dumbledore announced that there would be an age limit-17 years old by Halloween. "No way! I'm still going for it!" growled Fred.

"Somehow, I doubt that'll work," I said.

"Shut up. We're still gonna try," George muttered.

"I know, but don't expect me to have faith in you," I retorted.

"I don't," said Fred.

With that, we walked up to our dormitories. As I changed into my pajamas, I got to thinking, "If Fred and George find out how to get their names in, and it works, I just might try it. We need a female face to represent the wizarding world."

Fred and George told me the next day that they planned to use an Aging Potion to get past whatever it is. "Well, it takes a while to brew, but I'll try and have it for you as soon as possible," I told them, thinking, "This isn't gonna work."

McGonagall started distributing schedules at breakfast, making sure we had enough OWLs to continue with our classes. She went through half the line before catching a hitch. Fred. "I was always under the impression that you did better in some of these classes that OWLs show," she stated, with a twinkle in her eye. "But I'll be happy to let you into Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms."

"Same to you Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said knowingly to George. "Practically top of his class in some of the OWLs he failed. But you still finished on top in Transfiguration and Charms. And Professor Moody will be glad to let you into Defense Against the Dark Arts with Exceeds Expectations."

"Ahh…Paige Summer," mused McGonagall. "I'm guessing you want to continue with Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Arithmancy?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You're clear. Here's your schedule and the note from Professor Dumbledore."

I quirked an eyebrow then ran along to catch up with Fred and George. "I'm supposed to meet Dumbledore in his office at 8:00. I wonder what that's all about."

"Dunno. But you won't get to help us sell Canary Creams tomorrow!" figured George.

"I'll help you tonight. But anyway…how many free periods do you have?"

"Four today…we've even got full days free!" exclaimed Fred.

"I've got three every day. One now…after break…and after lunch. This'll be great!"

"Time to work on products and sell…all in the same day," dreamed Fred.

We headed to the common room to sell Canary Creams. "15 Galleons!" exclaimed George, right before I rushed off to Potions. "We can start working on fake wands!"

When I got to the Potions dungeon, I was greeted by Cedric Diggory. "Turns out you're the only sixth-year to want to and be able to continue with Potions, and I'm the only seventh year in the same scenario. Snape decided to combine our classes, because he says it's stupid to teach two classes of only one student."

Just then, Snape came out of his office and told us to complete the Draught of Living Death. By the end of the class, both Cedric and I had produced ah-mazing draughts, but I do have to say mine was a bit better than his. "You have both produced satisfactory potions, yet the Auror has out performed the Healer," murmured Snape.

As Cedric and I left, we talked about the ever-popular subject of careers. "A Healer…so you'll be taking…"

"Potions, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. And you'll be taking…"

"The same…except Arithmancy instead of Herbology. But I'd also like to be a Curse-Breaker."

"Wow! Two careers! Is there anything this woman can't do?"

"Yes…I can't pass History of Magic. But I only want one of the two careers; I just don't know which one yet."

By then we had reached a fork in the hallway, and each of us needed to take a different fork. "See you Wednesday!" we both said at the same time, laughed, and went our separate ways.

In Charms, Fred and George wanted to know immediately who was in my Potions class. "Just Cedric Diggory."

"Pretty Boy?"

"He's nice."

"He's gonna start drooling in your cauldron."

"Oh, yeah. He'll be real attracted to me. The only time he really sees me, I'm sweating all the time, my hair is in disarray, and I smell bad."

"He'll find it sexy."

"And you're a Quidditch player."

"No I'm not."

"You're a coach."

"He'll be asking you to 'coach' him sometime soon."

"Will you guys just shut up? We're learning a non-verbal spell."

The argument about whether or not Cedric found my sweat sexy continued through Transfiguration and the rest of the day. It continued all the way into Defense Against the Dark Arts, but when Moody entered the room, it suddenly stopped. (Not much can stop Fred and George from being over protective.)

Moody showed us the Unforgivable Curses on the spiders, and then decided to perform them on each of us. Nobody was able to throw it off, until George, who partially threw it off on his first try, and completely off on his fourth. Fred was able to partially throw off the curse, and then completely on his third try. Lastly, I was up. I completely threw off the curse after just a couple of seconds.

"I can normally throw it off faster than that," I muttered apologetically. "Normally?" inquired Moody.

"Since I was five, Lu- somebody has put the curse on me. I was able to throw it off by age nine, and very quickly since thirteen. But the curse hasn't been put on me since then," I explained.

"Interesting, very interesting," mused Moody, as he dismissed us.

I was supposed to meet Dumbledore that evening, but McGonagall told me at dinner that he wouldn't be able to see me. I didn't really understand, but listened, because Dumbledore always has a reason for everything.

Lessons continued to be interesting, yet extremely challenging, in all subjects. To the dismay of my bodyguards (aka Gred and Forge…aka Fred and George), Cedric and I became really good friends. The Aging Potion was coming along nicely, and everything seemed to be going great. I couldn't wait for the day that Fred or George would become the Hogwarts champion…if they could get past Dumbledore's Age Line.

**A/N: Paige is so naïve/oblivious. But that's why I love her! More overprotectiveness and Cedric/Paige romance to come!**


	12. Partners?

Chapter 12

Partners?

On the morning of the 31st, I told Fred and George to take three drops of Aging Potion. That should give them a year in age, so that if we'd miscalculated the years per drop, they'd still (hopefully) make it past.

But they got spit out by the Age Line and were sporting brilliant beards.

"You… stupid…idiots!" I scolded through fits of laughter. "You only took one drop didn't you?" I finally let out a fit of laughter so severe that I fell to the ground, clutching my side.

"You okay?" asked a voice.

"I'm okay. I just realized that Fred and George are the world's biggest gits. Oh…hey Cedric!"

Cedric helped me up, and then told me,

"I entered the Triwizard Tournament."

"I hope it's you or Angelina, then! We need a Quidditch player representing Hogwarts!" I remarked as I rushed off to Arithmancy.

The rest of Halloween seemed to drag on forever, until the Goblet finally spit out a name. Dumbledore announced Krum from Durmstrang (surprise, surprise) and Fleur from Beauxbatons (all the boys seemed to go crazy). Then Dumbledore announced the Hogwarts champion, "Cedric Diggory!" I had to resist the urge to go up and hug him, but settled for screaming and whistling. Lots and lots of whistling.

"Pretty Boy won," muttered Fred.

I was just about to hit him when Dumbledore announced, "Harry Potter!"

To say we were in shock would be a gross understatement. Even Harry seemed dumbfounded. It was like he didn't know he had entered. But, nevertheless, he entered the next room to the big heap of confusion that was waiting for him.

Fred, George, and Lee went back to the common room to get a party ready for Harry. I helped, but didn't really think Harry would appreciate it.

"Why'd the goblet spit out four names?" I asked George.

"Who cares? Harry'll be able to beat Cedric!" he exclaimed.

"As long as somebody from Hogwarts wins, I'm happy," I replied stonily.

"Don't tell me you're rooting for Cedric!" complained Fred.

"I'm rooting for my friends," I retorted. Fred and George dropped the subject, just as Harry entered the common room to a bunch of cheering. After a while, we all retired, and I was left to wondering what the first task would be.

The weeks before the first task seemed to blend into one long day of goofing off with Fred and George, growing closer to Cedric, and studying. But when the first task came, it was amazing. When we all saw the dragons, just about everybody screamed. (Draco did. Hahaha, that #$!) Fleur, Krum, Cedric, and Harry all did beautifully against their dragons (especially Harry). But I do have to admit that I would have like to see Draco have a go with the dragon and get his head bitten off. (explicit image) That would be funny. We all celebrated Harry's victory in the Gryffindor common room. The egg was really annoying, but I do like Fred and George's theory at having to attack Percy in the shower. And I do have to admit, the drawings with Cedric's head on fire were funny.

Fred and George perfected the fake wands and made A LOT of money from them. Everything was going well…until the day in Transfiguration.

"I'm sure you all know about the Yule Ball," stated McGonagall. At the blank looks on half the classes' faces, McGonagall continued. "The Yule Ball is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament, and gives us a chance to interact with the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The Yule Ball lasts from 8:00 to midnight on Christmas, and takes place in the Great Hall. I hope all Gryffindor students behave, or they will suffer my displeasure." With that last comment, she looked directly at George, Fred, Lee and I, who were whispering about Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. "This is the event where your dress robes are to be worn, and I hope you will all find suitable partners," she finished.

I shot my hand into the air and asked, "First of all, this is the only reason we bought dress robes? And secondly, partners?"

"Yes, this is why you bought dress robes. And dance partners, Miss Malfoy. You don't need to find one, but it is most advisable," she answered. Just then, the bell rang, and I rushed off to Potions, not wanting to be late.

At the end of the lesson, Cedric seemed really uncomfortable. "Paige? I really need to ask you something."

"I can't stay! Fred and George'll kill me if I'm late for Charms! We're supposed to sell fake wands before class," I explained.

"Well…I'll ask you later then!" Cedric yelled to my retreating back.

"Sure! See you later!" I yelled, before breaking into a complete run.

Fred, George, and I sold a couple of wands, and right before we entered Charms, George asked a really unexpected question. "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"I'd love to! As friends?"

"As friends." And with that, I'd found a date to the Yule Ball.

At dinner that night, I went over to the Hufflepuff table and asked Cedric, "So what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"I was wondering," he started, "if you'd like to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"I'm so sorry! I just said I'd go with George. George Weasley," I answered, embarrassed.

"Well, you'd better save a dance for me."

"Only if you save one for me!" I was ecstatic as I gave Cedric a hug and walked back to the Gryffindor table. I'd just gotten myself two dances with Cedric Diggory.

I told Fred and George, and they didn't seem happy at all. It wasn't the fact that I'd agreed to dance with someone else; it was the fact that it was Cedric.

"He's gonna be groping you the whole time," growled Fred.

"No he won't!" I insisted.

"That's 'cuz we won't let him."

"We'll be breathing down your necks to make sure he stays six inches away."

"You're crazy!"

"No we aren't. It's normally a one foot rule." Giving up on the argument, and not wanting them to raise it up to a foot limit, I started eating.

"How do you think Harry's faring with the egg?" I asked.

"Don't know. But I do hope the task is to attack Percy in the shower," mused Fred. "That would be the best day of my life."

"I don't know. That puts a bad image in my mind," contradicted George. We laughed and headed out of the Great Hall.

"Wait! I gotta get the fact that I'm gonna wear a Muggle dress cleared with McGonagall," I told Fred and George, as I approached Professor McGonagall. "Professor? Instead of buying dress robes, I bought a Muggle dress. Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course. As long as it's not about a centimeter big."

"It's not," I answered and ran to catch up with Fred and George.

The weeks before the Yule Ball passed quickly with the explosion of Canary Creams, and I looked forward to goofing off with George and dancing with Cedric. Fred had asked Angelina to the ball, and, of course, she accepted.

The night of the Yule Ball came and I slipped into the Muggle dress, feeling as if it was made just for me. I slipped on silver heels and let my long, blond hair hang loose. My grey eyes sparkled as I came out of my dormitory and took the arm of George Weasley. I could tell the Yule Ball was going to be spectacular.

**A/N: Mini cliff hanger! What shall happen at the Yule Ball? And what do the Beatles have to do with anything?**


	13. The Yule Ball

Chapter 13

The Yule Ball

George escorted me to the Great Hall, and we had a stiff conversation all the way there. It was too much for us, the formal conversation, and we collapsed into chairs, laughing. After that, our conversation was much more relaxed while we watched the champions dance. It was really funny, in my opinion, watching them dance. Parvati looked like she was leading Harry in a dog show. Cedric and Cho danced wonderfully, but seemed really formal. (They were abiding by George's and Fred's one foot rule.) Roger and Fleur were really friendly. (They broke the one foot rule three feet ago.)

Only Krum and his partner seemed to be really enjoying themselves. "Oh my God! Is that Hermione?" I asked.

"It is, isn't it? Ron's gotta be kicking himself right about now," answered George. And sure enough, Ron was looking rather sulky I the corner. We had a laugh on Ron's expense, and then started to dance to the Weird Sisters music.

It was kind of like a big group dance, made of all the sixth year Gryffindors and their dates. As the music got increasingly faster, the group grew larger and was eventually composed of all the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor sixth and seventh years. Cho had been pulled away the previous song to dance with a guy from Durmstrang.

So when the fastest song yet came on, I pulled Cedric out into the middle of the floor and started dancing. "This is the song I saved for you!" I yelled over the music. We didn't necessarily keep our hands to ourselves (actually, not at all), so at the end of the song, Cho got away from the Durmstrang guy and pulled Cedric away to dance. George also came over and pulled me back into the big group, just like a big brother would.

"You still owe me your dance!" I yelled to Cedric the next time I saw him.

"I've got the perfect song in mind!" he yelled back.

Right at midnight, Cedric went up to the Weird Sisters and requested a song. Many people had already left; including Cho, all the professors, and nearly all the judges (only Ludo Bagman was left). The Weird Sisters announced, "This will be our last song of the night. It's been requested by Cedric Diggory and dedicated to Paige Malfoy. This song is by a Muggle group called the Beatles and is called "Let It Be"." Cedric grabbed me by the waist and we danced, as the most beautiful song I'd ever heard began. Cedric and I seemed to be physically made for each other. My head rested perfectly on his chest; his arms felt right around my waist, and my arms around his neck.

It was a while after the song ended before we noticed that the music had ended. "Thank you," I whispered, and before I could say anymore, his mouth met mine in the most wonderful kiss ever. The world seemed to stop and we seemed to rise off of the ground. When we finally broke apart, we stared into each other's eyes before whispering "Good night," and walking away from each other.

If it weren't for George's arm around me in his brotherly fashion, I think I would have left the ground. As I slipped into my bedclothes, I had only one thought before falling asleep. "So this is what it's like to be in love."

I was pulled out of my happiness the next day when Fred and George decided to confront me about being so 'friendly' with Cedric.

"He was all over you whenever he got near enough to!" insisted George.

"If it weren't for Cho keeping pulling him away, he would have done some…unspeakable things to you by the end of the night!" Fred insisted.

"First of all, he could have done 'unspeakable things' to me at the end of the night when Cho had gone. Second of all, he WASN'T groping me…at least, not that much," I insisted. We decided to drop the argument then, or we'd be late for Transfiguration.

Nothing exciting really happened between the Yule Ball and February 24th, the day of the 2nd task. Fred and George's joke shop sales were doing fabulously, and the new products were coming along great! Cedric and I had some completely unexpected (I swear!) kisses after Potions. But we weren't officially 'together' because of Cho. Cedric knew she'd go completely psycho if he dumped her, and he was too nice to do that to her. I guess I got jealous sometimes, but I never saw any PDAs or anything that should make me suspicious. In fact, they were really rather distant.

I guess Cedric asking me to go to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day with him was something important, but I couldn't even go because I promised Fred and George that I'd stay behind and help them sell products to the first and second years. I was absolutely mortified that I'd had to turn Cedric down twice, but I made him promise that we'd go together next year to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day…no matter what.

Anyway, the second task came soon. When Ludo Bagman announced that the person the champions would miss the most was underwater, he saw me and raised an eyebrow. (He'd seen Cedric and I kiss.) I just smiled, and shook my head. Cedric came up first with Cho, then Krum with Hermione, and then Harry with Ron and Fleur's sister. Cedric and Harry were tied in first place going into the third task. As soon as I could get to Cedric, I gave him the biggest hug ever.

Then I told Fred and George, "See? Our relationship is just for fun." Fred and George didn't seem convinced and got 'the look' in their eyes. "What are you guys thinking of?" I asked, only half-heartedly wanting to know.

"You'll see," George answered. And I did indeed find out soon.

Fred and George came into the common room late that night. "Where have you guys been?" I asked. So they took turns telling me what they'd been up to.

"You know that we don't believe for a second that you and Cedric are just having a fling."

"So we went to talk to some of his friends about the task."

"Don't worry…we were very subtle."

"Turns out he was furious that Cho was put there as the thing he would miss most."

"He even said that whoever decided who went down there had figured it out before the Yule Ball."

"Or they must not have seen you and him lately."

"He thought for sure you'd be down there."

"He was even planning to break up with Cho today."

"After it was revealed to everybody that you are the thing he'd miss the most," finished Fred. I was just gaping like a goldfish.

"So now he can't break up with Cho, because everybody thinks that she's the thing he'd miss the most," added George.

"He's thinking of doing it…the dumping…after the third task now," Fred cut in.

I was in a total state of shock. I was pretty sure that Cedric and I were kind of like FWB, (friends with benefits) just a little higher on the 'dating chain' than that. Guess not. It was going to be a messy night after the third task.

**A/N: This would be another cliffhanger…except for the fact that everybody knows (or should know) what happens after the third task. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and R&R!**


	14. A Death and A Memorial

Chapter 14

A Death, A Memorial, and Umbridge's Arrival

Fred, George, Lee, and I took our Apparation tests shortly before the third task, and we all passed. I really wish we could Apparate inside Hogwarts so I could go poof I'm there poof I'm gone, over and over again in Snape's classroom.

The third task came soon. Now I wish it hadn't come that soon. Or rather, hadn't come at all.

It's just completely, utterly indescribable. The third task, that is. It was already pretty unnerving, sitting in the stands, with no idea at all what's going on. Fred, George, Lee, and I were all sitting together, having a good time, until we heard a scream. It was barely audible, but it was still a scream. Then, not too long after, we saw red sparks go into the air. I was just starting to stop freaking out, when Harry comes spinning onto the ground with the Triwizard cup in one hand, and Cedric's dead body in the other. "He's dead! CEDRIC'S DEAD!" I yelled hysterically, and then completely broke down into sobs. What seemed like and eternity later, Fred and George were leading me to my dormitory (they had to leave at the foot of the stairs), where I fell onto the bed and cried myself to sleep.

The next day, the words Harry had said, "Voldemort's back!" finally sunk into my head. Cedric had died at the hands of Lord Voldemort, like so many others would by the end of the war. That's what this is, isn't it? A war. The second war against Lord Voldemort. And with that thought, I followed Fred and George to the hospital wing to visit Harry Potter.

When we got to the hospital wing, we were greeted by the whole Weasley family, Hermione, a dog, and Dumbledore. The dog soon turned into Sirius Black and Mrs. Weasley did the customary freaking out. "Oh my God! Sirius Black!" she shrieked. I resisted the urge to laugh while Dumbledore explained to Mrs. Weasley that Sirius was innocent.

After we'd talked to Harry for a while, I asked Dumbledore, "Can we have a memorial for Cedric? All the sixth and seventh years? I already know we can have it in the Room of Requirement."

"Of course. I'll make the announcement today. Would tomorrow be a good day?" asked Dumbledore gently.

"Yes, thanks," I answered. Shortly after, we all headed back with new knowledge and heavy hearts.

The next day came quickly, and more kids than I had expected showed up to the Room of Requirement. A few fifth years had shown up, including Cho, and I was forced to explain that only sixth and seventh years could come, as the Room of Requirement was full to the maximum. Cho didn't seem happy at all (actually, she was turning red), and I couldn't help but get a little bit of satisfaction from the look on her face.

All the sixth and seventh years from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor took turns talking about all the wonderful things we remembered about Cedric. (And there were so many.) I wanted to keep the mood light, and Fred and George helped with that a lot. I was the last person to share my story, and had previously decided to tell the whole truth.

"Cedric and I were in…we were in a lot like love," I started. "If you stayed all the way through midnight at the Yule Ball, you'd know. If you could see us after Potions, you'd know. Cedric was great. He was…is…a gentleman and he would have been the greatest Healer St. Mungo's has ever seen. I want to leave you with this thought, even though it'll depress everyone who doesn't already know it. Cedric was killed on the orders of Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort is back." We all left the Room of Requirement, our heads spinning. I don't think any sixth or seventh year doubted after that day that Voldemort was back.

Dumbledore said it again at the going away feast…that Lord Voldemort was back, I mean. To the people who looked skeptical when Dumbledore announced this, I wanted to go wring their necks and say, "Cedric got past a dragon and loads of other stuff. Do you think he just fell in a ditch and died?"

The train ride back to London was uneventful. The train was nearly silent with all the thinking that was going on. That's what I'd be doing a lot of that summer, thinking. Or, at least, that's what I thought I'd be doing. When we got off the train, Mrs. Weasley whispered into our ears, "We'll not be staying at the Burrow this summer." Fred, George, and I wanted to know where we were going to go, but Mrs. Weasley refused to let a single word escape her lips. "It's too easy too be overheard here," she explained. With that, we headed to what was known as Number 12 Grimmauld Place, or, for that summer, our home.

I can't say that Number 12 wasn't interesting. But, it's not exactly what you'd call fun. We weren't allowed to tell anyone where we were, so I must have seemed very distant in my letters to my parents. So when Harry got into the screaming match, I could kinda see where he was coming from. But it was killing us all every day, not knowing what the Order was talking about. But Fred and George's Extendable Ears did help for awhile, at least until Mrs. Weasley made the door Impetrable. I swore, when I left Hogwarts, I was going to be in the Order so fast, they wouldn't know what hit them. Hadn't Harry proved enough that 'children' can defeat Lord Voldemort? Yeah, needless to say, I was really P.O.'d about not knowing what was going on.

However, it was occasionally fun to help Mrs. Weasley de-evilize the house. Doxies proved really helpful in the Skiving Snackboxes, which were coming along nicely. "The Puking Pastilles may be ready by the beginning of the school year," George had gone so far as to say one day. God only knows how much they'd be in demand from NEWT students. Oh, yeah. That year was the year we'd be taking NEWTs. I needed to excel in all of them to be able to be an Auror. What really scared me about 7th year was that Fred and George weren't really excited about anything pertaining to Hogwarts. They didn't need NEWTs, they said.

It was then that they told me about the thousand Galleons that Harry had given them. "You guys! That's awesome!" I yelled, giving them each a huge hug. "I'll be your first customer, I promise!" We had great fun that summer, I guess, but I was close to ecstatic to be back at my home away from home, Hogwarts.

But then we realized that our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a complete and utter toad. (Not just in personality, she looked like one, too.) I listened to her speech and told Fred, George and Lee that it meant that the Ministry was screwing around with Hogwarts.

"No way! Screw working at the Ministry!" exclaimed Lee.

"We probably won't get to pick up a wand at all while in class!" complained George. Too bad that we didn't realize how right he would be.

When we had our first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Umbridge was already on edge. One of the rumors was that Harry stood up for the truth and Umbridge said something like, "You're a raving lunatic! Screw you!" Actually, the rumor that she gave him detention seems closer to the truth, but she was still raving mad.

When she put up the course aims, Fred, George, Lee, and I all asked, "Aren't we going to perform magic at all?"

"No! I already told the last class that no situation will arise that will require you to use these spells in class!"

"I want to be an Auror. It would kind of suck if I was trying to capture someone and couldn't even perform a simple defense spell, wouldn't it?"

"Miss Malfoy, if you are so keen on performing magic, I suggest you have a duel…with Mr. Weasley."

"Which one?"

"Fred."

So Fred and I got up, faced each other, and bowed. "Better enjoy the only time I'll be able to touch a wand in class," I thought.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled at the exact time as Fred yelled "Stupefy!" Instead of the spells glancing off of each other, they met in the middle and turned gold. We were lifted up off of the ground and surrounded in a dome of gold light.

"What's happening?" I asked Fred.

"No idea," he answered nonchalantly.

There was a bead of gold light in the middle of the line connecting both our wands, and it seemed to want to go towards one of us. Fred and I both used all the will and force we had to keep that bead away from us. The bead suddenly turned red and exploded, surrounding us in a bubble of tremendous red light before we were sent hurtling to the ground.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Malfoy! Go to the headmaster's office at once! You may be putting the other students in danger!" croaked Umbridge.

"Sure, whatever," Fred replied as he took me by the hand and led me out of the classroom.

So we headed to the headmaster, wondering what had happened. "We need to speak to the headmaster," I told the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. It didn't move. "Sugar quill? Bertie Bott's? Acid Pops?" I guessed. The gargoyle sprung to the side to let us through.

"Professor Dumbledore?" I inquired.

"Miss Malfoy, Mr. Weasley, what brings you here?"

"Well, Umbridge sent us. Paige and I were having a duel type-thing, and something weird happened."

"We were lifted off the ground, our wands were connected by gold light, and we were surrounded by gold light."

"Then this bead in the middle turned red, exploded, and we fell down."

"Your wands were connected by a stream of gold light with a gold bead in the middle, the bead turned red, exploded, and you fell from where you'd been lifted. Is that correct?" Seeing Fred and I nod, Dumbledore continued. "My conclusion is that you were victims of Prior Incantuam. Your wands have a core from the same exact animal, so they can't work properly against each other. As for the bead turning red, I can only guess. You did not want to cause harm to each other, but you love each other. So the bead turned red from immense love, and exploded."

"When you say love, Professor Dumbledore, you mean brotherly-sisterly love, right?"

Dumbledore just smiled and said, "Mr. Weasley, you may go. I have a need to speak to Miss Malfoy privately.

**A/N: Hahaha! My charries are idiots! The love is right in front of them, and yet they don't realize it. I love being in control. And I left you with a mini cliff hanger…I am evil! **


	15. A Prophecy and a Vomit Fight

Chapter 15

A Prophecy and a Vomit Fight

Disclaimer: (I've been forgetting these.) I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. I'm just a pathetic Harry Potter obsessor trying to write a good story.

"Miss Malfoy, I am sure you are aware that people who make prophecies are not aware of it. I'm also sure that you know that people of any age can make a prophecy. But what you are unaware of is that you, my dear, made a prophecy during your Divination OWL."

I wasn't really paying attention before, but I suddenly looked up. "Me?"

"Yes."

"Well…what was it?"

"It was a very simplistic prophecy. A young girl will be the key to the defeat of or triumph of Lord Voldemort."

"I can't even make a cool prophecy? Everybody knows girls are the only people with the power to kill Lord Voldemort."

"What about Harry?"

"Exactly my point…no, no…I'm just joking. But he's an exception. Do you have any idea who the prophecy is about, anyway?"

"I have three guesses. Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, or you."

"No frikkin' way! I suck at…everything!"

"First of all, you don't 'suck' at everything. Second of all, you may go."

I left Dumbledore's office with a weight on my shoulders. It's not a piece of cake to know you have a 33 chance of being the deciding factor in the win/loss of Voldemort. My spirits didn't exactly heighten when I went into the common room and got vomited on. "Fred! The Puking Pastilles do not feel that great!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry," said Fred, as he shoved the purple end into his mouth.  
"You know what…give me one." So I took the Puking Pastille, ate it, and vomited all over Fred. "That felt good."

We did the 'Scourgify' charm on each other so that the vomit was thankfully gone. But then George and Lee came up and vomited all over us again. "You guys are sick!" I yelled, flinging vomit at George's face. We soon got over that fight, since having vomit all over you isn't the most pleasant feeling in the world.

"Let's go to the Room of Requirement," George suggested randomly.

"Sure…why?" I asked.

"We need help developing love potions," admitted Fred.

"Why didn't you ask me sooner? Dork."

"'Cuz we knew that you're going to slip the potion into our drinks just for laughs."

"Just for that comment, be prepared to fall in love with Umbridge."

Fred, George and Lee all threw pillows at me. "Losers. You just don't want to admit you're in luuurve with her!"

"That's about as likely as you and Fred getting it on."

"According to Mrs. Weasley, that's already happened, so beware."

"Mum is strange like that. Hopefully, this summer we'll be able to go to the bathroom without Mum freaking out."

We headed to the Room of Requirement, which was equipped with the finest potion ingredients. I spent about ten minutes squealing over the cauldrons and such, until Lee finally slapped me and brought my attention to the task at hand.

"How strong?" I asked.

"Mild. We don't want possible customers jumping off of cliffs because these people told them to."

As I was finishing the brew, I asked, "So who's gonna be the tester?"

"Lee," chuckled George evilly.

I gave Lee a few drops, so the potion would wear off in a few minutes. He immediately began trying to snog George. "I forgot to add the ingredient where you can't fall in love with someone of the same sex!" I howled, doubled over in laughter. Fred and I decided to have fun with it while it lasted. Fred grabbed George to keep him from running away. Lee came up to George and was about to stick his tongue down George's throat when the potion wore off. He was a centimeter away from George's face.

Fred and I collapsed in laughter as Lee yelled, "censored" I fixed the potion, and we decided to call it a night.

In to common room, we were greeted by Hermione, who told us, "If you want to learn some real Defense Against the Dark Arts, come to the Hog's Head during the next Hogsmeade trip."

"Coolness," I answered. "We'll be there."

"How do you know we'll be there?"

"I know more about you than your own mother does. I think I can figure out that you want to learn some real Defense Against the Dark Arts," I retorted.

"Stalker," muttered Fred, and I threw a prototype Nosebleed Nougat at him.

"Hey! Those are precious!" exclaimed George, wiping it off.

The Hogsmeade weekend came quickly, and we met in the Hog's Head to discuss the Defense Against the Dark Arts club. This kid named Zacharias Smith was being a complete git (surprise, surprise), so Fred and George offered to clean out his ears with this cool looking thing from Zonko's. But we were looking forward to the next meeting and immediately signed the paper where we promised not to tell Umbridge about the club.

When the next meeting came, Ginny made the amazing name of the D.A. for our group. I think both Fred and George were fighting an internal battle not to get up and clap…a lot. (Although the Ministry of Magic are Morons suggestion of Fred's was pretty good.) But I think even with it being NEWT year, since Umbridge was here, Fred, George, Lee, and I were living through the D.A. meetings and the selling of their products. Even after the firs meeting (where we all did pretty well), I noticed Fred and George getting restless.

"You guys…Quidditch match soon!" I thought of, trying to stop whatever train of thought they were having.

"Yeah…against the Slytherins," remarked Fred absently.

The match came quickly, and it was a disaster, to say the least. Malfoy can't lose, so he started insulting the Weasleys, and then Harry. Fred was being held back by the Chasers (swoon! Nooo! No swooning over your best friend!) and Harry and George attacked Malfoy.

"Paige? Are you alright?" Lee asked, not realizing what was going on.

I was shaking so hard, it looked like a seizure, and my wand was pointed at Malfoy. "That…evil…git!" I growled through clenched teeth.

Lee realized what was going on, and his eyes narrowed. "Let me kill him!" he growled.

Madam Hooch finally stopped Harry and George from going at Draco, and sent them to McGonagall's office. Lee and I knew they'd get punished, but when we found out that George and Harry, as well as Fred, had gotten lifelong bans, we freaked, to say the least.

Lee chucked a book across the common room, almost hitting a first year, and I repeatedly hit my head on the wall while muttering, "That evil censored," over and over again. Fred and George were really pissed, but they just threw themselves into Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and the D.A.

We were planning an explosion of Weasley's Wild Fire Whiz Bangs to get back at the dirty toad called Umbridge, but that was all put on hold when Arthur was put in St. Mungo's. I cried and freaked out when George and Fred went to Number 12 to wait for Molly. Arthur Weasley was more like a father to me than my biological father, so I was hysterically upset. "This can't be!" I exclaimed into my pillow, pounding my fists on my bed. But after what seemed like a long time, Mr. Weasley made a full recovery, and Fred, George, Lee, and I threw ourselves into the big plan once more.

We had one more DA meeting planned before the big day, and it was one of the best ever. We were conjuring Patronuses. My Patronus was a leopard, which Fred and George kept joking looked like a Nundu. "You know I can't be controlled by less than 100 wizards," I growled. Fred's was a griffin (so sexy! note sarcasm) and George's was a dragon, a Welsh green (even more sexy! note even more sarcasm).

But the evening was ruined, no, was a train wreck…when Dobby announced that Umbridge knew where we were practicing. Fred, George, Lee, and I bolted to the Gryffindor common room. We were asleep before Harry came back.

The next morning, there was a notice saying that Umbridge had replaced Dumbledore as headmaster. Fred, George, Lee, and I exchanged a look that meant, "This lady is going to wish she didn't mess with Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."

"Looks like all the Whiz Bangs'll be used up," I commented.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chappie! As always, R&R!  If you don't know what a Nundu is, refer to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!**


	16. Fred and George Leave

Chapter 16

Fred and George Leave

And they were. All the fireworks exploded all over the school. The look on Umbridge's face was worth a million Galleons, especially when she was freaking out to Filch.

The professors were so cool when fireworks came into the classes. They'd send a student to get Umbridge to get rid of the fireworks and then say, "I could do it myself, but I wasn't sure I had the authority." Every time one of the teachers would say that, everybody would burst out laughing, and Umbridge's face would get incredibly red. Haha! That toad deserved it!

Fred and George told me that they had something else planned, but they didn't give me any specifics. They just told me that it was very important for me to test a Nosebleed Nougat. So I listened to them, trusting that they'd tell me in due time. But when I tried the end that was supposed to stop the bleeding, it only got worse. "I'm sorry Paige," Fred muttered, right before I blacked out from loss of blood. I was in the hospital wing when Fred and George made their flight to freedom.

Lee told me all about it as soon as I got out of the hospital wing. "It was amazing! Peeves actually listened to them!" he finished. My face was unreadable, just like I wanted it to be. Inside, I was fuming. I couldn't believe that they put me in the hospital wing, so I would miss their amazing escape. If I had known what they were planning, I would have come too! So I threw myself into NEWT studies, while waiting for a reply to the letter I had sent them.

It took a long time to get an answer, but it was worth the wait, I guess. "Paige," it read. "I know you probably hate us right now for not telling you about what we were going to do, and even more so for putting you in the hospital wing."

"You got that right!" I muttered before continuing.

"But we have our reasons. You would have come with us if we let you in on the secret. We can't do that to your future. You have the power to be the best Curse Breaker/Auror that the wizarding world has ever seen. Leaving school would ruin that. Love forever-Gred and Forge."

I smiled, but I couldn't really say it was exactly what I wanted to hear. They did that sometimes…treat me like their little sister, I mean.

Lee and I took the advice Fred and George had given Peeves to heart. We did everything in our power to make Umbridge's life miserable. Our personal favorite was sneaking nifflers into Umbridge's office. In between trying to make Umbridge's life a living hell, and helping Peeves do the same thing, I was worrying about NEWTs. I studied, but only half-heartedly, as Fred and George weren't there to make up random songs to make the homework hilarious. The Portable Swamp they had left was amazing, and every time I glimpsed it, I was filled with admiration for my greatest heroes.

NEWTs came, and I was filled with determination to do well, so I could please Fred and George, and prove to them that they had made the right decision, by making me stay at Hogwarts.

My first NEWT examination was Arithmancy. It went well, but to say it was tough would have been a gross understatement. I might have scraped an Outstanding, but I probably got Exceeds Expectations.

Next was Charms. The theory was hard (what do you expect for a Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test?), but the practical was more fun. A lot of the Charms I'd be using in my life in just a couple of weeks.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was cool. I think I did well because of the DA, and I really wanted to do well to prove to Harry that a lot of good came out of the DA.

Potions was unbelievably cool. Though, I was tempted to steal the Felix Felicius that I brewed. God knows I'd need it during the Transfiguration exams.

Turns out Transfiguration wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I just imagined that all the things I was supposed to Transfigure were Draco's head, and I did pretty well. I might have gotten marks off for having a maniac grin on my face the whole time, though.

Dumbledore returned! He finally arrived around the end of term, and took his rightful position as the headmaster. I can't deny being shaken up about what happened at the Department of Mysteries. I mean, the girls who'd been my best friends three years ago had been fighting there. But they came back nearly unharmed, except for the loss that hung on everybody's minds…the loss of Sirius. But on the bright side, (if there is a bright side) Lucius is in Azkaban.

Fred came to visit me through the fire on the second to last day of the term. We talked about Lord Voldemort, Sirius, Cedric, and everybody else, who were sure to suffer losses in the war.

"Doesn't this make you want to know how it's all going to end up?" I asked.

"No. Because then we'd live in fear of what's coming up, instead of facing each day as it comes," answered Fred.

"This is making us older," I said sadly and collapsed into an armchair.

"Makes it hard to believe that our biggest fear a couple of years ago was whether or not we'd fight each other," laughed Fred half-heartedly.

"Fred…you never did tell me why your boggart turned into me," I added.

"Umm…" he replied, looking worried. "George is calling my name. Gotta go!"

I reached towards the now normal flames and asked helplessly, "Fred?"

Right before I left Hogwarts forever, I went to talk to McGonagall, who had been like a mother figure to me for the past seven years. "Have you decided what career you're going to go for?" McGonagall asked.

"Do you really think I'd want to work for the Ministry after they've fought the truth and Harry for so long?" I laughed bitterly. "I think I'm going to work as a Curse Breaker."

McGonagall nodded, and we just stood there for a few seconds. We finally gave each other hugs, and started to cry silently. She'd been my favorite teacher, and I think I was, in a way, her favorite student.

I finally boarded to train, where I'd see my parents for the first time in nearly five years.

**A/N: The last sentence is pretty important in upcoming chappies…foreshadowing. Hope you liked my bit with Fred and the fire, 'cuz that was my favorite part of this chappie! **


	17. Working for Bill

Chapter 17

Working For Bill

The conversation with my parents was awkward, at best. I wanted to talk about the Weasleys and the war, but my parents were only too keen to avoid those subjects.

"So you don't think Voldemort is back?" I challenged.

"He died. He can't come back," answered Tom.

"You're so naïve, Father. He didn't die. I've seen evidence of his life since my third year. To deny his return is to die," I retorted.

"You think he will kill us?" scorned Maria.

"No. You aren't important enough for Voldemort to kill himself. I bet Uncle Lucius or Aunt Narcissa will kill you, and you won't be prepared. You don't have a chance of surviving unless you come to realize his existence." With that comment, I Apparated to the Burrow.

"Can I stay here this summer?" I asked a very flustered Mrs. Weasley.

"What went wrong?" she asked, seeing the upset look on my face.

"My parents are going to die soon because they ignore the fact that Voldemort is back. Even after Fudge admitted it, they still refuse to believe. It makes me furious!" I yelled, slamming my fist on the table.

Mrs. Weasley just simply replied, "Yes, dear. You may stay here with Fleur."

"What did Percy do?" I asked, seeing the distant look on her face.

She went completely red then replied, "Let's not talk about P-him right now."

My NEWT results came after I'd been at the Burrow for only a few days.

Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test Results

Pass Grades

Fail Grades

Outstanding (O)

Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A)

Troll (T)

Paige Summer Malfoy has achieved:

Arithmancy

E

Charms

E

Defense Against the Dark Arts

O

Potions

E

Transfiguration

E

Attached to the NEWT results was another piece of paper. It read:

Paige Summer Malfoy,

It has been brought to our attention that you would like to work as a Gringotts' Curse Breaker. If you wish to take on this career, you will be an apprentice under Bill Weasley for your first year as a Gringotts' employee. We will be delighted to see you tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp, if you wish to be a Curse Breaker.

Thank you,

GRINGOTTS WIZARDING BANK

"Give you a long time to decide, don't they?" I asked Mrs. Weasley.

"It's better than Bill's. They gave him about 10 minutes to decide," she answered.

"Will I be able to be in the Order now, do you think?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Probably, dear. We need all the help we can get. As long as Dumbledore is okay with it."

"Are Fred and George in the Order, Mrs. Weasley?" I asked tentatively.

"Please, call me Molly. I know this isn't an answer, but do you have a 'thing' for Fred?"

My face got really red, and I hurriedly answered, "No, of course not…is it that obvious?"

"Yeah, Paige, it kind of is," spoke up Ginny, who had just entered the kitchen.

"Great. Do you think he's noticed yet?"

"Paige? Haven't you learned anything about Fred? Even I know that he won't notice."

"But the question is…will you be able to notice that he's in love with you?"

"Fred's not in love with me. I mean, his boggart turned into me in third year. It's kind of hard for me to go from his biggest fear to his love interest in just three and a half years."

"Ask Bill about the boggart. He's the only one that knows the full story behind it."

"I will. At 8:00 sharp tomorrow," I finished.

When I got to Gringotts the next morning, they immediately got Bill to 'take care of me', as the goblins so nicely put it. But Bill was cool. No…Bill was AWESOME.

So pretty soon, I felt comfortable telling him, "Mrs. Weasley told me that you know why Fred's boggart turned into me. Can you tell me?"

"Umm…"

"You might want to answer, because I can brew Veritaserum. If you don't answer, you might find yourself slipping things out of your mouth that you don't want people to hear."

Bill just laughed and said, "Fred's right! You do threaten people. But Molly lied to you. They all know why Fred's boggart turned into you. I'm just the only one whom Fred gave permission to tell."

"So…are you going to tell me?"

"Sure. I've just got to get it cleared with George first."

"Why George?"

"It's all part of Fred's plan. He doesn't want to know when you're told about the boggart. George also has to tell me whether or not Fred would be able to take you knowing."

"So, when can you get it 'cleared'?"

"Right now…but no offense, but you need to leave."

"Sure, just come get me when you're ready."

So I went outside of Bill's office and waited impatiently to find out the answer to the question I'd had for nearly five years.

It seemed like months, even years, before Bill came out and asked me back into his office. "Well, it's cleared through George."

"So, are you gonna tell me?"

"Fred wasn't afraid of you, he was afraid of what you made him feel. He was it love with you. He's still in love with you."

"For how long?"

"Since first year."

"It's been right in front of my face. Dumbledore, George, even McGonagall knew it. That's why George asked me to the Yule Ball. He didn't want Fred to have to see me with Cedric," I mused, finally finding answers to the questions that had confused me for so long. Bill just nodded and smiled regretfully. "What's wrong?" But then it dawned on me. "I'm going to be traveling all around the country, doing things for Gringotts and for the Order," I laughed bitterly. "I finally realize I love him, and I won't see him for a year."

That year was indeed a rush of working for the Order, working for Gringotts, Bill helping Fleur to 'eemprove 'er Eenglesh', and people dying. Oh, yeah. There was a lot of missing Fred, too. All the battles we fought seemed the same; it all seemed like an extremely long day. That is, until the battle at Hogwarts.

When Bill and I were called to Hogwarts, we got there as soon as possible. I wasn't really able to look around at what others were doing, but I felt that I was doing well. (I mean, I hadn't died, yet.) That is, until Fenrir Greyback started advancing towards me. I stood paralyzed in fear, doing nothing except relieving childhood memories.

I was five, swinging at a park in London. A shadow emerged from the distance, looking similar to a wolf. It was coming towards me, and I started crying. Right as it was about to bite me, a Stunning Spell hit it from a distance. I stopped crying as Minerva McGonagall led me to my parents, who had been standing there, doing nothing.

Greyback was inches away from me when Bill hexed him. Fenrir turned and started fighting Bill. It lasted a long time before the werewolf was able to bite Bill. He was coming towards me again, when he suddenly ran up to the roof. I didn't know what was going on, until Tonks started yelling spells at the blocked doorway that led to the roof.

But all too soon, the Death Eaters rushed down again. We tried to fight, but they were making a run for it. I was hit really hard with a Stunning Spell, and blacked out.

When I was un-stunned, the Order told me about how Snape killed Dumbledore, and that Draco was a Death Eater. I didn't want it to be true, but I knew it was. "Always knew Draco would turn out bad," I muttered. Dumbledore's funeral came, and it marked the first time in nearly a year that I'd seen Fred and George.

"Wish we could have met at a happier time," I remarked awkwardly.

"Sad times like this were gonna come, we knew it."

"But nobody thought it would be Dumbledore."

"Where was he that night?"

"I've heard…okay, eavesdropped, a bit, and I've heard the word Horcrux being tossed around fearfully."

"Yeah…I think Lucius might have mentioned something like that once or twice."

"What is a Horcrux anyway?"

"We'll just have to find out."

"And whatever we do, we will find out."

**A/N: How'd you like her point of view about the battle at Hogwarts? I really liked the part where Bill got the bite from protecting her. After this, I'm going into a plot without J.K.'s books to use as a plot guide, so I hope this next chapter is going to be great! **


	18. The End, Or The Beginning?

Chapter 18

The End…or The Beginning?

The next day, I went to Gringotts and marched up to the head-goblin type person. "I quit!" I announced, as I turned my back and Apparated to Fred and George's joke shop. "I quit my job," I told Fred and George breezily.

"You what?" asked Fred, mouth agape.

"I quit."

"Whaa…why?"

"Well, if we're going to find out what a Horcrux is, I can't be traveling the world 'round, now can I?"

"But…but…"

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. We've just got to be discreet."

Once Fred and George had gotten over the shock that goody-good Paige had quit her job, we talked about options for who would know what Horcruxes were.

"Well, there's Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort, and Harry," I said, ticking off on my fingers.

"I doubt Harry would take too kindly to us asking him, after his last parent figure just died."  
"Dumbledore's dead, we can't ask him," Fred remarked sarcastically.

"We can't exactly waltz up to Voldemort to ask him, either."

"Well, do you have any better ideas?"

"What about the Professor Slughorn guy that Ron was always complaining about? He supposedly knows a lot about the Dark Arts."

"Yeah. He only liked people with really powerful families," George started.

"Or were…really good at Potions," Fred cut in, an evil grin creeping across his face.

"You expect me to just go up to Slughorn and ask 'Hey…what's a Horcrux?'"

"No…bring him a drink with Veritaserum in it. He's a sucker for mead. Then use a not-so-powerful memory charm on him."

"Okay…but, I swear, this better work. When do we get started?"

Fred and George looked at each other, and answered, "Now."

So, in the next week, I prepared the Veritaserum, made up a believable story, and arranged for Slughorn to meet Fred, George, and me at the Hog's Head.

"Our sister talked so highly of you!" Fred exclaimed, taking a seat next to Slughorn.

"We simply must know how you do it."

"Do what, my dear?"

"Pick only certain students for the 'Slug Club'," I answered, giving him the drink.

"Well," he began after he'd taken a sip. "I pick only the most important and most gifted students."

"How do you make a Horcrux?" asked George, under his breath.

"You…you split you soul in two by doing something awful, like murdering somebody. Then you put part of you soul into an object."  
"What exactly does a Horcrux do?"

"The Horcrux must be destroyed before the person can be killed."

"Well, that's great. Voldemort's practically immortal."

Just then, the Veritaserum wore off, and Fred quickly modified Slughorn's memory. "Harry will know something about this," muttered George, as I said, "Goodbye Professor Slughorn! It was a pleasure meeting you!"

"Yes, yes dear," answered Slughorn absentmindedly.

Fred, George and I started immediately trying to find a day when we could meet Harry, and he wouldn't be able to blow us off.

"How 'bout Bill and Fleur's wedding? We can corner him there," I mentioned.

"Sure, but it'll be flipping hard trying to get him to stay long enough to listen," muttered Fred.

Sure enough, Harry was basically avoiding all human contact at the wedding reception. (Both the wedding and reception were beautiful, what else do you expect from Phlegm…I mean Fleur?) Fred had to put his arm around Harry, and had to guide/drag him into another room.

"Listen we need to talk to you," I whispered into Harry's ear. "It's about the Horcrux."

"Wha? How do you know about-?"

"Shh. We'll explain later."

We took Harry into an empty room and explained how we found out about Horcruxes, and what we knew about them. "Just one thing wrong," Harry explained. "There's six Horcruxes, or there were."

"What do you mean?"

"I destroyed one, Dumbledore destroyed one, and a guy named R.A.B destroyed one."

"So there's three left until he's mortal? Have any idea what they are?"

"Hufflepuff's cup, something from Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, probably Ravenclaw, and his snake Nagini."

"Do you think the snake would just die if we could get to it, and kill it?"

"There's probably some type of spell protecting it, but why?"

"I think Fred, George, and I could destroy it. You worry about the cup and the item from Ravenclaw, and we'll worry about the snake."

Harry looked skeptical, but finally gave in. "I do need some weight off my shoulders," he laughed bitterly.

I had just volunteered Fred, George, and I to destroy the fourth Horcrux.

"The only way for Voldemort not to notice Nagini being gone, is for a very convincing echo of her to be created. George, you'll have to do that because you're best at Charms. Fred and I should try to figure out what kind of protection charm will be put on Nagini. So it doesn't seem so awkward that I'm around you guys all the time, I'm gonna work for you."

"Sure sergeant! Whatever you say!" exclaimed Fred, saluting me.

"Shut up!" I growled, hitting him.

Fred, George and I pored over books for nearly two months. The morning after an excruciatingly fruitless search, Fred came up to me with the Daily Prophet. "Do you want to stop searching for a few days?" he asked.

I read the headline, and then asked Fred, "Why would we stop searching? I know somebody died, but that's become common. We don't even know these people." I threw the paper into the fire. The headline read: Tom and Maria Malfoy found dead.

"But Paige! They were your parents!"

"Tom and Maria Malfoy? What they did can hardly be called parenting. I told them they would die, but they didn't listen."

"But Paige!"

"They made no difference in my life. Mourning over them is like mourning over a lost boot."

"Paige…"

"You know what they used to say all the time, after I'd get in trouble? 'Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, and you won't do evil.' I'd yell back at them 'If you hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil, then how do you know what evil is?'"

Fred and George just stood there, mouths agape. "Paige..." Fred murmured, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I just shook off his (big, strong) hand and said, "Can we get back to work? I'd like to have this figured out by the time that Harry's destroyed another Horcrux." That day, George figured out how to make an echo of Nagini.

While George practiced and perfected the spell, Fred and I figured out the most logical protective spells that would be put on Nagini.

Harry visited us through Floo powder, and told us that he had destroyed Hufflepuff's cup.

"What about the item of Ravenclaw's?"

"I've located a hairbrush of hers that I believe is the last Horcrux."

"Well, hopefully you can go after it soon! Voldemort will have to notice after a while that his snake is just an echo!"  
"We're going after Nagini tomorrow."

"Ready?" I asked George, as we were standing in an empty field, about a mile away from the nearest Muggle city. "The echo should be where Nagini is by now." I summoned Nagini and immediately yelled "Avada Kedavra!" I didn't expect it to work, so I wasn't surprised when the snake didn't even move.

George, Fred, and I tried all sorts of hexes jinxes, and charms, but nothing seemed to work. "I'll ward her off while you guys figure out what to do!" exclaimed George breathlessly. Fred and I were tossing around and throwing out ideas for five minutes when we heard George's scream of anguish.  
Fred's eyes grew wide, and he became paralyzed as George fell. I was able to gather up enough sense to banish George to St. Mungo's, as realization dawned on me. "Fred! Magic won't work against her! And I doubt anything obtained magically will work either. Go to the Muggle village and find swords or something. Bring them back here." Fred, still seemed paralyzed, and Nagini was advancing towards him. "I'll ward her off! Fred, I promise you that George will be okay if you can just get the swords! Run fast!" I yelled hysterically.

Fred bolted, and I did a dance with Nagini for about 30 minutes, when Fred came back. Fred was just about to slice up Nagini when I yelled, "Her eyes, Fred, her eyes! I just saw them go red! I bet we've got to spear 'em at the same time! Ready…one, two… THREE!" And we speared. Blood went everywhere, completely cloaking Fred and me.

"We just destroyed the fifth Horcrux," I announced, wiping blood from my eyes. "Now let's go see how George is doing."

We Apparated to St. Mungo's and found out that George was in Intensive Care. "Severe blood loss and poison. He may not be up and about for a while. But judging by his personality, he should be up and about sooner than that," the Healer said chipperly.

Fred and I each took one of George's hands, and just sat there, near him, until he became conscious. "Wha…where am I?"

"Nagini bit you. But she's gone. We destroyed her. But I expect Mum'll be here soon, so expect screams." George cracked a smile and Mrs. Weasley was soon there, along with the rest of the clan.

"What were you doing?" demanded Mrs. Weasley.

"Something for the Order," answered George quickly.

"They should know better, than sending such young kids on such dangerous missions!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum, I'll be fine. In two days, I guarantee you that I'll be walking around."

And sure enough, he was up and about by the second day, and was able to be released four days after he'd been hospitalized. Harry visited us at the joke shop the day after George came back, to tell us that he'd be going after Ravenclaw's hairbrush that night.

Fred and George closed the shop (just for the week, of course) immediately, and we began practicing all the spells we'd need in the final battle. The next day, Ginny's head came into our fireplace and told us, "Get to Number 12 quickly. The Death Eaters are beginning to arrive!" And with a pop! her head disappeared.

George immediately Apparated, but Fred and I stood there, looking into each other's eyes. He grabbed my hands and whispered, "I want you to know…that whatever happens out there…know that I've always loved you."

"Don't cry," he added, wiping the tears that had begun to leak from my eyes. Before I could say anything, he kissed me. The kiss was mixed with our tears, and held so many emotions. Fear, Apprehension, and, most importantly, undying LOVE.

We finally broke apart, took each other's hands, and Apparated to Number 12.

We were ready to face whatever the final battle would bring.

Together.

**A/N: And that's it! Hope you liked it!  I also want to add, that the flames I've gotten, I don't mind them. Because I have the best friends in the whole world, who have helped me through the whole process of writing the story, and assured me that a character loosely based on me wouldn't be too creepy! **


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